I Should Have Never Thought
by Eyelash of the Twilight
Summary: *Complete* She reflects on what should have been, and she reflects on what shouldn't have been... *Sheelos*
1. Preface

_**I Should Have Never Thought**_

_**By Eylash of the Twilight**_

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_**A/N: **_Ok, this is my very first Sheelos and my very first fanfiction ever, so...um...please be honest about everything and let me know what you think...don't judge the length; this is just the prologue. The actual chapters are so much longer than this; I'll post the first when I'm done typing it. Please review and tell me what you think of the beginning!

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_**Song: **__I Caught Myself _by **Paramore**

**Prologue **

"_...Now, when I caught myself,  
I had to stop myself from saying something  
That I should've never thought.  
Now, when I caught myself,  
I had to stop myself from saying something  
That I should've never thought of you--of you..."_

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The almighty choice is the solitary force gripping the compass of the human destiny. By listening to the soothing guidance of the heart, decisions can be made to temporarily—more than likely, permanently—alter the course of anyone's kismet; no being, no matter how vast the earthly power, is exempt. That choice, often taken blithely, can make or break. It can lead to tender happiness or malicious sorrow, both results contingent on the contents of the situation. Unforgettable. Inescapable. Eternal. Believing in the chance of outwitting such divine intervention makes one a fool; most, if not all, meet their fate while taking the path to avoid it. The only thing that could possibly give the inevitable destiny inferior quality would know the outcome before the decision could be made.

I **suppose** I could have called myself a victim of that evil.

I knew of my future all too well, for I had chosen it. Admittedly, I had plunged into the whole situation with blind eyes, never once considering the result of the verdict my people had come to. My heart had been drunk on the notion of being finally acknowledged among those who had shunned me since my slip up when I was a child. The obligations, the responsibilities, the sacrifices—those did not come to mind during my definite acceptance speech. I wanted all of it, then. I wanted to be the chief of Mizuho. The repetition of that phrase over and over in my words and head falsely convinced me that I would sacrifice anything for it.

I found out later there were things I wasn't willing to sacrifice.

I had to double take when I realized it. I had to catch myself and step outside the Sheena Fujibayashi that I knew well to decipher everything; where the lies were, where the truth was...I had to see the raw, hideous veracity about what was going on within and out of me. I hated it. I hated what I felt because, at the time, I thought I was wrong. I felt disgraced to have to know about what I had been feeling; I was the one who had to shoulder all of the blame, no matter who it was involved. I longed for nothing more than for it to go away and never come back.

But I didn't have the strength to push it away.

And after that agonizing stretch of placing the liability on me, I came to the ultimate recognition of what the _actual _reality was.

I knew what I needed in what way.

I knew what I didn't need in what way.

But what I needed was **so **much different then what I wanted.

Because I wanted **him. **

I falsely believed that everything would work out perfectly in the end.

How wrong I was.

And I all remember thinking was just one, meaningless phrase.

'_...I should have never thought...' _


	2. What is the Same and What is Different

_**A/N **__Thank you to everyone that reviewed my short prologue! I promised to update this on Monday or Tuesday, so here it is on Tuesday. I'll be posting the info for this story on my profile (I. E. Update times, any kind of delays or hiatus, FAQ; if I get any, and eventually the playlist). Please review and tell me what you think. I'm really nervous, and this honestly is my first fanfiction, so anything would be good for me! Thank you! :) I think that's it...hehe. _

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**_Chapter One:_**

**_What is the Same and What is Different_**

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I had always enjoyed the way the sun's rays reflected through my window at dawn. When the inviting warmth settled on my brow, seeping through thin sheets to caress my skin, it wasn't long before I abandoned the comforting embrace of my makeshift bed and bolted out towards the cool, sharp morning air to gaze upon the canvass that the dawn and twilight shared. The pair painted with colors so similar, yet both never failed to fade into the deep recesses of its partner. It was because of this beauty I had done my best thinking at the end as well as the beginning of each passing day. Both moments radiated such peaceful, stimulating auras; I couldn't help but be drawn to the places in my mind where I didn't normally tread.

On that day I decided to compare the morning and evening to star-crossed lovers; the same as in one of my favorite stories, _Romeo and Juliet. _I cast the twilight in the role of the strong woman with a pair of eyes that held uncontrollable, intoxicating obscurity. Dawn I chose to act as the brilliant, blue-eyed male who allowed his light to shine upon all those who took the time to watch his labor. I built a lovely—and somewhat cliché—story off of my fervent imagining. Twilight saw Dawn in a crowded place; his luminosity lifting up the shadows within her heart and soul in the form of a dazzling smile. Fleetingly, Dawn glimpsed at Twilight, her murky hair glossy with slight sliver tints. From that moment on, she'd stolen his heart, and there was no hope of having it freed. He didn't want it to.

But their love was doomed from the very start.

While Dawn touched the Earth, he met with Twilight one once before the unyielding nature forced her to disappear from the world while he glimmered. After long hours—torturous hours—she returned into the arms of her true love, only to be torn away from his radiance as her night took its turn to reign. In their ill-fated sequence, they are allowed to look upon—to interact—their lover twice in one whole day. Dawn waits on tenterhooks through the arduous daylight, whereas Twilight lingers in enduring prayer beside the star-studded nights. Forever they are bound to that torment. Waiting...waiting...waiting... Yet, their adoration for the other continued to remain as bright as the sun and moon themselves.

_'If I was the twilight...' _

"Lost in your dreams?" A deep voice chuckled behind me.

Acting on instinct, I rose up in a position of self-defense—legs crouched and arms away from my body; prepared to strike. I felt immense relief at the sight of my childhood friend Orochi standing before me with a beam that hinted at his partial coyness. A mild blush tinted his cheeks; I deduced it was from the sight of me in my long, baggy white nightgown. He'd never seen me in anything else but my standard Mizuhoan attire.

"I guess I was, huh?" I laughed softly as well, trying to ignore his flush.

"F-Forgive me, I..." he stuttered, immediately peeling his stare from me. "I suppose I should have—I mean, I had no idea you were-were...**indecent**—that is to say..."

"It's no big deal!" I laughed harder, acting excessively nonchalant for a purpose. When Orochi let his traditional attitude show, he got exceptionally irritating. One would have thought he'd seen me naked then.

"Yes," he continued his tone unchanging and his features immobile. "But I—"

"Your Chief says it's fine," I kept my face alight, but seriousness laced my voice; if I couldn't best him with dispassion, I would make things official.

"Ah..." Orochi murmured as though he agreed, yet still his gaze did not move from the surrounding forest.

Sighing, I sat back down amongst the trees of the eastern outskirts of my village. Orochi and I had held a stable relationship throughout our long years together; I could definitely call him more than a friend. We were akin to a big brother—he, three years my senior—and a little sister. I could still remember all too clearly the days when we were young children; jumping off the tall rocks—that aren't so tall anymore—into the creek behind his house, picking dandelions for bouquets to give each other, catching fireflies with the stars as our guide and saving them as nightlights so we wouldn't have to sleep in the darkness. He'd been my lone friend through my hardest times; a constant shoulder to cry on. A loyal companion. A keen playmate. My go-to guy. I was forever indebted to his kindness.

Nevertheless, as I got older and matured along with him, something unsettling had begun to fester between us; particularly the way he watched me. That something was something incredibly apparent to everyone who knew us, but that was one thing **I** couldn't quite grasp. Instead, I choose to not acknowledge that anything was different. I simply didn't want to know.

I'd been too busy within my own little world.

"Orochi..." I mumbled distantly.

"Yes?" was his stern reply.

"Do you...do you think that the dawn and the twilight like each other?"

"Hm?" he finally looked away from the woods.

"Do you think the dawn and the twilight like each other?" I repeated.

"**Like each other**?"

I rotated to see a veil of perplexity across his face; as though I had spoken a language he wasn't familiar with.

"What do you mean—"do they like each other"?" he hedged.

"Exactly what it sounds like!"

"Sheena..." Orochi said to me affectionately, yet it wasn't in a tender way. It was more along the lines of pity. "The—ah... they are times of the day, so...so..."

I glowered to silence him. He had not produced the answer I had wished to hear.

"Wh-What?" his voice broke.

"...Can't you think about something...you know...'outside the box' for once?"

That's when it happened. Orochi set his warm stare on me, the heat melting his eyes into vats of liquid gold. The quirk of his upper lip, a foolish grin, and the laziness of his stance that was notorious for rigidity...it was alien to me. He had changed so much from the days of our youth; from the days that seemed not so long ago. I hated it. I wanted it to stop. I didn't want him around me when he acted this way.

"Well," he spoke sweetly, but I could tell that he wasn't all there. "One of us needs to be the practical one, don't we?"

I tilted one brow. "Am I not practical?"

His foolish grin widened.

"I suppose I—...what I mean is...**realistic**."

"So now I'm not **realistic**? What's with the insults?" I teased, pursing my lips playfully. "Is this your way of **complementing** your chief?"

I was trying to coax out my best friend and rid myself of this strange man who plagued me with an abnormal stare.

However, it was vain, for it happened once more.

Usually—at least, for the Orochi Azumi that I'd acquainted myself with— he would have easily matched my snarky mouth with a comment of his own that was equal in stature. This new Orochi—this person who watched my so strangely—said nothing of the sort. Topaz orbs tightened their lock on their target—me—and gradually managed to somewhat solidify; he was getting a bit more serious. His bashful characteristics neither grew nor ebbed, but seemed to keep steady; almost as if he was trying to decide whether to take a stance or not even bother trying. In one blink, he was at my side, his intense face a bit too close for my comfort. I felt my stomach churn out of pure apprehension and puzzlement from his close proximity; it took all I had to keep from succumbing to rudeness and pushing him away. I loathed it.

"Sheena..." Orochi murmured.

I couldn't answer him. I just wanted him to back up or go away.

"...You-you have...I have watched you grow—watched you progress through our years together...and—" He broke eye contact, but quickly reconnected—"...you have truly blossomed..."

"...O-Orochi..." was all I could choke out.

"You...you have become a—a **beautiful **flower..."

Beads of sweat formed at the top of my brow.

'_What...What am I supposed to say to that...?' _

Then I noticed his face inching forward. Slight movements weren't something unexpected from Orochi—he moved with greater agility then I ever dreamed of doing—but with my sharper vision, his actions had less of an overwhelming impact. On the other hand, there was a significant difference; what went on was not the two of us sparring.

His head was moving closer and closer every second.

And I didn't know what to do.

So I panicked.

"I-I-I need to-to go dress!" I said obnoxiously loud, jumping to my feet in order to hide my colored face.

"Sheena, wait—!" He started to call after me, but I ignored his pleading.

Blood boiled in my veins as I found sanctuary in my small home. I couldn't recall a time when I had been so furious at my good friend—a friend who had never made me feel such indignation and discomfort around him. What could I do when the only person I could count on at this time in my life had betrayed me by acting in a way I chose not to concede, even though I knew the reason? It was at times like this when I longed to return into the open embrace of my close companions I'd held so dearly on our journey of uniting the once two worlds; Sylvarant and Tethe'alla.

I missed Lloyd's resolve; I missed his spirit. I missed the exhilarating courage that he'd managed to provoke inside my cowardly heart. I missed Colette's smile; her will to sacrifice herself for those that truly loved her. I longed for her tender voice to touch my ears as fondly as they had done so many times before. I missed Genis' wit; his magical aura. While his heart had remained hard to those of the human race, his childlike nature had never failed to spark new compassion. I missed Raine's rationale; her enthusiasm. She was the one soul who possessed the power to bring all eight of us back from cloud nine when it was time to grow up; I was grateful for her lending me wisdom. I missed Presea's strength; her relentless desire to become something more than what she was. If I could, I would siphon off some of her fortitude and inject it into me. The way she cast her eyes from the demons of her past with such grace and nerve had me completely envious, yet I was appreciative for her example. I missed Regal's class; the way he carried himself. He truly believed he was a murderer, and he never expected special treatment. I admired that in him; the willingness to atone for a crime that wasn't even intentional. He was a good man at heart.

And, much to my chagrin, I missed that stupid Ex-Chosen.

I had no chance to fight the impending assortment of Zelos memories that flooded the forefront of my mind. The valor that had swelled within him. His awkward laugh; a voice smoother than the finest silk. The faraway orbs of light blue; an alluring wink. Thick, red tresses that fell far past his shoulders, carrying the scent of apple blossom. A taut body shape; slightly rippled muscle. His well-structured face. That sensual smile...

Words couldn't describe how much I despised the way he made me feel.

_'Forget it—forget it—forget it. Remember? Just because he got a little bit braver doesn't mean he still isn't the world's biggest _**philanderer**_.' _

Which he was, of course. But I couldn't help but crave his company. Seeing **one** of them would have been enough to mitigate my melancholy. Anyone of them at my door step was a vast improvement over Orochi at the time.

Thoughts dancing on the tender memoirs of long ago, I dressed in my all too familiar purple and pink attire; I had chosen the one that I'd worn when I'd caught my first glimpse of Sylvarant, the dying world. I winced when I felt the fragile heart I owned tighten out of lament for the time I could now only recollect on. At a feeble attempt to act positive, I thought aloud to myself.

"What would Lloyd say?" I mumbled, closing my eyes to focus. "What would Zelos say? ...What would Raine say...What would Colette say?"

_'To tell the truth...I have no idea what they would say...' _

I didn't know, and that made me feel more alone than anyone could ever imagine.

The rays of the sun that had once fully shone through my cracked, dirty window had decreased a great deal as I finished slipping into my clothes. That was my signal to start making my way towards the chief's headquarters; I liked to call it my 'office'. Vice Chief and Grandfather spent the majority of their time there with me; helping me write those vile letters of business as the Emissary of Peace to Iselia and the royal city of Tethe'alla (most of the running about across the world had been taken care of earlier on; now I was just the messenger), as well as assisting me with paper work for our talented information network. Their technique of teaching wasn't difficult to grapple with; I simply had to watch and learn and when they were certain I had a handle on things, they would no longer lend me their aid. My thoughts on the matter of no longer receiving help were undoubtedly split in two. I wanted the independence from them; to experience the rush of confidence that would occur from me working on my own. But if they were to leave...my apprehension of relying solely on **my** power as chief—achievements and mistakes—would increase significantly. Mixed with Orochi's weirdness and my nostalgia, no matter which way I turned, I was inevitably stuck in one of the most awful ruts I'd faced in a long while.

_'Suck it up, Sheena...' _I acidly scolded myself. _'It's not something that you can avoid. There's no way out of this one...' _

As I stepped outside, I did a rapid, yet thorough search of the area before heading out. Facing Orochi again wasn't on my agenda for today. In fact, I decided that if he did ask to see me, I would politely send a message to him declining his offer; making up an excuse to seal the palpable truth. The instant my reliable ninja instincts triggered that all was clear; I fled north to inner Mizuho. Upon seeing the sliding front door, I had a brief epiphany about how small my village was compared to the others of the world. Our population was steadily decreasing from the lack of children being born alive; there were more and more miscarriages and stillborns due to our lack of professional doctors. That dilemma was one I feared more than most of the others dealing with Mizuho. What could I have done? Encourage procreation when lives were at stake? I chose to leave that choice up to Grandfather. Surely he, with limitless wisdom, could think of a solution.

I also planned to ask him about Orochi's bizarreness as well.

"Grandfather!" I called as I entered. "There's something I need—"

That was when the streamers hit my face.

"SURPRISE!!!!!" A group of familiar voices bombarded my ears.

_'...Could it be?!' _

Wrestling with the paper covering my hot face, I caught a sight of red that I could never confuse with anyone else.

_'Lloyd!!!!' _

"Happy Anniversary, Sheena!!!" He cheered, yanking the decorations from my head.

"Everyone—!" I began, eyes wide with shock.

There they were. All eight of them. I was at a loss for words; my brain halted. Each one of them held a beautiful wrapped package, wore gleaming smiles and bubbled over with laughter from my comical confusion as I tore at colored paper.

"Everyone—"

"Are you surprised, Sheena?!" Colette beseeched with sparkling eyes.

"Of course she is!" Genis rolled his eyes with a smirk. "She didn't even know we were here...did she?"

"No, I made sure not to mention anything," My grandfather chortled, positively glowing.

"What are you doing here?!" I shouted, gripping Lloyd in a tight hug.

"You have your grandfather to thank for that," Raine's ever stable tone explained.

"Today's you're one year anniversary as chief of Mizuho, so he invited us to celebrate! How could we say no?" Lloyd returned my hug.

"I-I-I can't...I can't believe it..." I began to tear up. "Grandfather—"

"I'm not all to blame," he spoke in that warm, knowing way I loved. "You have another man to thank for that."

"Who?" I questioned eagerly.

I looked at Lloyd; he rubbed the back of his head as a confession.

"I actually didn't remember until I got the letter...haha..."

I turned my eyes to Genis.

"Nope." Was the simple retort.

Then I switched to Regal.

"I'm afraid this was no mastermind of mine," he replied with a stony face.

The vice chief was next.

He merely shook his head.

There was only one man left in the room, and I honestly thought it might have been some sort of joke, but when the two of us locked eyes and he presented me with that evil wink of his, I knew that my friends told no lies.

"Guilty as charged," Zelos flamboyantly flipped his hair back.

"**You **did this?!" I sounded more disgusted than I really was.

"Zelos remembered before any of us did," Presea softly smiled; a heavenly gesture.

"Wha—You-you...no way. I don't believe it!"

"Believe it, hun!" his cunning grin widened. "But have no fear; you can repay me **generously** later on tonight."

"**YOU—**" I started to reprimand him, but managed to get a grip on my fury.

If had truly organized the celebration, there was no way of knowing if he had done it out of sincerity or out of the desire of seeing me indebted to him. Asking him would be futile, but how could I let his brazen characteristics spoil this perfectly wonderful reunion?

There was no refuting it; I wouldn't stand for it.

So I smiled at Zelos warmly, weaving through Lloyd and Genis to wrap my arms around him in any way that I could.

"Thank you," I told him genuinely, letting a few tears fall. "You have no idea how much this means to me!"

"Whoa! No 'You perverted Chosen' ? No slapping me across the face? And I get a **hug**?" –He placed a gloved hand over my forehead—"Are you feeling ok, hunny?"

"I'm feeling fine," I said through gritted teeth. "Zelos, don't ruin this or I **swear** I'll—"

"I've got the memo, hun." he said strangely tender. "Promise. Cross my heart; I'll make this a happy occasion. It **is** kind of what I had in mind when I got your grandfather to agree..."

"I—wait; you're...you're serious?" I gasped, looking up.

He nodded, his eyes both passionate and glassy.

_'...Zelos being sincere...this isn't like him...' _my mind became tumultuous.

"I missed you all!" Colette suddenly exclaimed, running to embrace Zelos and me.

But, sadly, she tripped over Lloyd foot, landing on top of Genis, who feel to the floor with a crash, his present for me flying from his arms, only to strike his older sister's forehead; the room was suddenly roaring with laughter.

Some things were going to be different, I could see that now.

But concentrating on that which was the same gave me a bit more strength to face those things that would change.

With a bit of luck, it would be enough.


	3. Not Forgotten

_**A/N: **_Sorry this took forever! I will admit, this was partly my fault. I missed school due to illness, and then I got **Dawn of the New World **and was ready to start that. . But I swore that I would update this today, so I did! ^_^

I wanted to say a few things about **Dawn of The New World**, but after further thought, I decided to condense it. I recommend playing it, but be ready for a let down. It was ok, but I ended up digging for my GameCube in my closet and playing the first game twice to make me feel better.

Lol. I'm probably gonna get flamed or something, but I just wanna say that I **absolutely loathe **both Emil and Marta.

Anyway, I'll be ranting about **Dawn of the New World **more on my profile.

I wasn't happy with this chapter, but I guess it's the best I have. Please read and reveiw! Anything helps!!!! Thank you! :3

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_**Chapter Two: Not Forgotten**_

"Open mine first!!" Colette cheered, trusting a present into my palms. "Please, Sheena?"

We had ended up in a circle; all eight of us, including my grandfather and the Vice-Chief. Colette was to my right, Grandfather to my left—he'd decided to situate himself between Zelos and I after his proclamation of desiring payment for throwing me a party later tonight; I found it absolutely entertaining, yet somewhat annoying—Lloyd beside Colette, then Genis, then Regal, Presea, Raine, Vice-Chief, and, lastly, Zelos.

"You guys..." I sighed in resignation. "I feel bad for—...you didn't have to get me gifts! I...I don't have anything to give—"

"Knock it off, Sheena," Lloyd said lightheartedly. "We didn't expect you to! Isn't that the point of a surprise?"

"We appreciate your sentiments, Sheena, but it was our intention to have gifts," Raine said a bit more logically than Lloyd.

"Some of us have more than enough money to spend," Regal made note, making eye contact with Zelos.

"And a few of us were able to make gifts." Presea announced.

I bit down gently on my lip. While they're words were accurate and made sense, they weren't enough to drive the indignity away from my heart. Their countless sacrifices, their encouraging outlooks, their affectionate words...it was more than I had ever asked for from anyone. Looking at Colette, who sported her carefree, smile, then back to the small package in my hands, I surrendered to their arguments and began to unwrap the gift. Under the paper was a cylindrical metal container with a lid. Hesitantly, I enclose my hand around the top and pulled. With the tin open, I peered inside.

"Oh, Colette," I said with calm shock. "Thank you so much!"

A spherical glass bottle with a wooded stopper of purple fluid—I assumed lavender petals that had been crushed so finely into liquid—was nestled in a bed of parchment at the bottom. Taking care not to break the glass, I tipped the metal container with my left hand and let the bottle fall into my right, eyeing it with wonder. The scent of lavender was utterly intoxicating as it radiated from the now empty cylinder, and it's meaning—which Colette was definitely unaware of—filled me with sanguinity.

"Colette," I spoke as though I was gossiping with a girl friend. "Do you know what the lavender flower is supposed to symbolize?"

Her eyes widened with interest. "Flowers mean something?!"

I nodded feverishly. "They do in Mizuho! Lavender is a way of telling someone good luck...and best wishes."

"Oh!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Then I wish you the best of luck, Sheena!"

_'Goodness knows, I sure do need it, Colette...' _

"I'll put this on every day, I promise," candor laced my vow.

"I will too!"

"Okay, mine next!!!" Lloyd tossed a slightly bigger box in my direction.

Lloyd's gift hitting my hands caused my face to flood with red. I opened it with great care, not ripping the covering any more than I needed to. Under the paper was a cardboard rectangle, my name scrawled with messy print across the top in black ink. I shook it once, hearing a solid clinking sound; it had to be a necklace or a bracelet—hopefully handmade. The memory of Lloyd giving Colette wearing Lloyd's handmade necklace always filled me with envy; I had wanted one ever since. Hurriedly, I broke the seal on the bottom of the cardboard, letting its contents fall into my lap.

It was a bracelet; a bracelet of rainbow-colored leather with a tie so it could be easily removed. My heart thumped so loudly in my ears I was sure everyone else could hear it without a doubt. Fumbling with the tie, I managed to loosen the knot and get it around my right wrist, securing it with a tighter bind than before.

"I'm never taking this off," I held my right arm to my heart, looking at him with my widest smile. "I love it. Thank you!"

"Thanks, heh..." he mumbled shyly. "I liked the rainbow. I thought you might too..."

"Of course!"

"You need to open mine," Genis chuckled, sliding his actual box in my direction.

"Why?" I was timorous as I took hold his present. "Is it alive?"

"No, it isn't alive...but you probably should open it now. I want to know if it got damaged when it hit Raine..."

"I'm sorry!" Colette buried her face in her hands while Raine affectionately rubbed the bruise on her forehead.

Unlike Lloyd and Colette, Genis had not wrapped his gift; it was just a pale white parcel. Wary, I tugged the two flaps apart, gaining full view of what exactly he had been talking about.

I smirked.

"Genis, I can't believe I forgot to remember how much I missed your cooking!"

"I'm glad I was able to remind you," he sounded sarcastic.

Cupcakes. Genis' cupcakes. My mouth watered—no second thoughts about conduct or discourtesy. The aroma that exuded off the pastries as unseen vapor filled the room, reminding me of the way I used to stare outside of the bakeries as a child whenever I left the village for school or for an assignment. Each one was individually surrounded by clear parchment paper, chocolate icing made apparent because of their lucent casings. Amazingly enough, none of the treats had received any type of injury because of the mishap moments ago. Colette's inelegant disposition truly was blessed. The only difference from what Genis had made and the displays of the stores I gawked at were proportion.

"Genis, there's...there's no way I can eat all of these! There are like thirty of them!!!"

"You always overdo it, don't you...?" Raine chided him with a sigh.

Genis' defense was discomfited laughter.

"That's why we're here!!" Zelos spoke for the first time in what seemed like hours.

Thinking that knocked me for six. He'd always managed to yell about something perverted every now and again, or at least pretend to insult me. He could have commented about the way I'd fawned over my bracelet, or how I needed the lavender perfume—something along those lines—yet Zelos had remained silent; he had deviated from the norm once more.

Just like Orochi had done for the last few months.

I was not content with it.

"Since you finally feel like talking, why don't you go next?" I suggested with tension.

'Ah—ah—ah!" I wagged his finger at me. "Save the best for last, hunny! Think of it as showing an example of one of the **many** ways I can **blow your mind**."

I glowered at him from blazing rage, realizing that I had been a hypocrite. This was what I wanted, and I got it.

"I don't think I'll be taking you up on that offer any time soon."

He merely put his hand up. "Wait until my turn, sweetie. Then we'll see."

"Perhaps I should end this unneeded quarreling," Regal cleared his throat. "I will give my gift to Sheena."

"Thank you," Genis said tersely in Zelos' direction.

I got the feeling his tone was for our redheaded friend, but the gratitude was conveniently not.

Regal walked with a kingly stride across the room in my direction, handing me a package of yellow speckled with purple flowers. I could tell it had been handed with the kind of care only those few opulent fellows could afford, which caused me profound regret at the thought of turning it to ruin. Shaking it once, hearing a heavy thud, I explained to myself as kindly as I could that the box was meant to be opened in such a manner, swearing on Corrine's bell that I would save the remnants. With quavering fingers, I tore the end of the wrapping away, setting it aside in the same stack as my other gifts. Because the one end was fully exposed, I was able to easily glide the package out from its attractive shield.

"Are you gonna save the paper too?" Zelos was frivolous as he asked.

"I think it's pretty," was my sturdy rejoinder.

"Country people are so easily amused..." he laughed, grinning towards the ceiling.

"And what, may I ask, amuses you Chosen One?" the Vice-Chief inquired of him.

_'Ahhh...sweet vengeance...' _

"Not wrapping paper," Zelos snorted.

"You, who hold yourself in high regard because of your luxury, have had the opportunities to see that which Sheena, who was raised in exile and unable to leave her village without escort, has not."

"You know nothing of what it means to find pleasure in the simple things." My grandfather added.

"Well, I'll admit you're dead on there," Zelos began, flipping his long tresses from his eyes. "I have held myself higher than others. But I happen to be separate between those who are born into wealth and those who aren't. If you fully asses both situations, considering now what we know about the Church of Martel, I shouldn't have the things I have and I shouldn't have experienced what I have experienced. So, all things considered, it's my luck that's given me this luxury. "

_'...He's right....' _

"That may be true, Zelos," Raine interjected herself into the dispute. "But making a mockery of what you understand is utterly more shameful than if you were to do the same with something you are unknowledgeable of."

"I **don't** know what it means to be impoverished. I don't know what it means to live the way the people of Mizuho or the people of Sylvarant have."

"Maybe you should try," Lloyd told him frankly.

"...Maybe I don't want to," Zelos' smile faded.

Genis jumped to his feat. "You selfish—"

_'No...!' _

"Stop!" I shouted with irritation. "**I **don't want this to turn into some heated, ugly debate! I hoped this could be a peaceful event..."

"Sheena's right," Colette aided me in my plight. "We didn't come here to fight! We came here because we wanted to see each other after such a long time."

"We should be grateful that we're here not for saving the world from peril, but merely because we care for one another." Regal supported Colette's statement.

"I agree," Presea said softly. "Why do we not just ignore our animosity...for Sheena."

An awkward silence bubbled up between all of us. Zelos had refused to stare anyone in the face; he kept his face straight to the right of our circle. Raine, heaving a great sigh, held her gaze downward at the floor, giving the impression of deep thought, which I did not doubt was genuine. Lloyd and Genis, in tandem, folded their arms across their chests in a juvenile fashion, the small half-elf eventually returning to his original position instead of standing. I could still sense the lengthened ire that had not stabilized in the middle of our quiet, so, acting as peacemaker, I hurriedly tore at the flaps of the box that Regal had given me, praying that whatever was inside would lighten the moods of my comrades.

Little by little, I lifted a beautifully carved wooden box of some kind. A large, intricate emblem of a letter 'S' colored in green and gold was proudly embossed on the lid of the box. My olfactory senses were instantly filled with the sharp scent of mahogany; crisp and tranquil. Upon lifting the lid, which made no sound, I saw a neat stack of stationary; sifting through the pile, I discovered each was also embossed with a faint letter 'S' of the same nature as on the top. Things of that sort were usually reserved for the ladies of the Royal Court, and they were pricey as they were good-looking.

"This must have cost you..." I mumbled, inattentive.

"On the contrary. My company makes these for even the king himself. Even so, as I stated earlier, some of us have more than enough money to spend."

"Sheena does need practice on her letter writing," My grandfather's lip tremble as he did his best to stifle a chuckle.

My façade tightened and contorted at his statement, which made everyone else guffaw.

"It's so-so...so...ugh! There hasn't been a word created to really describe how bad it is!"

"What about 'vile'?" Genis recommended.

"I favor 'repugnant.'" Regal spoke with a distant grin; as if he were remembering something from precedent times.

"More like 'odious.'" Zelos put his two cents in.

_'...I don't even know what that word means!' _

As if reading my mind, Lloyd suddenly took hold of his head with his hands and loudly moaned: "I've never even heard of any of these words before!!"

The sound level of our laughing rose up by a hefty amount of decibels.

"Vile. Causing disgust or abhorrence, wicked, unpleasant and worthless," Presea explained monotonously. "Repugnant. Offensive and unacceptable; making someone feel physically repelled. Odious. Inspiring hatred, contempt or disgust."

"Thank you, Human Dictionary," Zelos saluted her.

Presea's head tilted, blatantly bewildered.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No, Presea," Regal placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's Zelos' way of saying that you have a broad vocabulary. He is complementing you."

"Oh, I see," she then smiled in the redhead's direction. "Thank you, Zelos."

"You are very welcome, my cute, little Presea."

"Yeah, yeah! We get it, already!" Genis brusquely ceased the conversation; everyone already knew why. "Who's next?"

"I am," Presea said with a slightly chipper tone, walking to me and handing me her gift as robotically as I had seen her in ages. "This is for you, Sheena. I hope you...enjoy it."

"Of course I will," I beamed at her as I took the package from her diminuitive hands.

On those precious occasions when Presea would bear her pearly whites out of pure delight, I found myself being drawn in to that joyful spirit that had been locked away when I had first encountered her. I could only imagine the kind of person she was previous to her ghastly exsphere incident; the people who must have called her their own personal sun who lit the dreary days with brightness...I regretted not meeting Presea during that time so much that it made my heart ache, and I made up my mind that I would stick to my decision for as long as I lived every time I saw her in a state of glee.

When she could tell I had run out of things to say, she speedily scurried back to her spot between Regal and the Vice-Chief. Her gift was the most minuscule of them all; I could hold the dumpy box in one palm without fear of it falling to the floor. I couldn't put my finger on it, but, strangely enough, I took pleasure in that the other presents that had beaten Presea's in the size category. One of the many sayings of my grandfather that I had based my life around was the classic: "Big things come in small packages." That, too, let thoughts of Presea blossom inside my head. That was her no hands down.

Presea had given me one of her homemade charms; a long-winged butterfly that had been christened with my colors; purple, pink and black. The charm was something I truly appreciated because there was no doubt that this came from the raw heart of Presea, yet I felt dismayed. The thoughts of her slaving to make something special for me, and here I stood, empty handed, my only reply—'Thank you'—lacking the substance that could equal the magnificence of her handiwork.

"Presea..." I choked.

"...Do you not like it?" she was not distressed, but inquisitive.

"I—no! I-I mean, yes! Presea, I love it. I do, honest."

Presea's smile did not falter, and my entity was packed to the brim with warmth.

"Thank you very much, Sheena."

"You're the best Presea," I stared at her with rigid fervor. "You are."

That was the first time I ever saw Presea blush; it was adorable to say the least. The eternally pallid face of hers was shot full of a substantial scarlet without any delay. Shifting eyes, twitching fingers; the petite adult was justifiably embarrassed. I was so amazed, I could tell my jaw had gone slack.

And I wasn't the only one stunned.

"Wow, Presea, I didn't know you're face could get that red!" Lloyd announced at the top of his voice.

"Aww," Zelos crooned. "You've got such a cute blush, Presea!"

"I-I-I-I th-think so too!" Genis agreed, sporting a blush of his own.

"...Hmm..." was all Presea could hum; she didn't look at any of us, just kept her eyes to the stable ground below her.

"Ok, Zelos," I said, casting my gaze towards the former Tethe'allan Chosen. "Let's see it."

That victorious smirk snuck onto his lips; he could tell I was eager. That was something I didn't want him to ascertain. Give Zelos Wilder an inch, and he'd take a mile.

But I couldn't deny it to myself that I was not excited about this present that he had claimed to be the best.

"As you command, my Violent Demonic Ban—"

"Just give me the gift, you Stupid Chosen..."

"Geez, Sheena. Touchy, touchy. And I went to all this trouble—"

I could feel the heat rising up to my collar as he continued to prolong my suffering.

_'He's trying to get a rise out of you...you know him well enough...just be calm. ...Calm...Calm...I am calm...' _

Watching him with an unblinking stare, I watched him remove a lean, although elongated, tan leather fold from his peachy vest. Eyeing me suggestively, he waved the folded piece of material in front of my eyes for a minute or so, eventually skimming it across the short distance towards me.

"What in the world is this?" I partially snapped, turning the leather fold over thrice before stopping.

"You have to open it, hunny," he spoke as if I were hard at hearing, which did not help to quell my fury.

"I kinda figured out that part!"

"Did you?"

"**Yes!**"

"So? What are you waiting for? Open it!"

I digested his words; nevertheless, my hands did not immediately open the fold. I was too interested in actually pondering what could be within this uncanny device. I hadn't seen anything that looked like it could even belong to the same **family of cases **prior to this. It was all entirely baffling.

"C'mon Sheena, I want to see too!" Lloyd whined, running his hands through his hair in anticipation; he seemed just as—if not more—animated than I.

Stealing one last glimpse at Zelos, who was boastfully sprawled out in his personal space, making a gesture with his hand to unfold the thing, I inhaled deeply, spreading apart the fold as if the thing that it held were going to bite me if I made the wrong move.

Once I saw it, it took the majority of my willpower not to drop what was in my hands.

There, hanging within the fold, was a bell—Corrine's bell, to be precise, shined and cleaned so thoroughly that the sun's bright waves shimmering through the windows hit it, sending speckles of yellow and white as far as they could reach, strung on a flat chain of gold. Further inspecting the chain, I noticed a subtle inscription that was halved on either side of the bell. It was absolutely breathtaking.

"_You voice will ring...within my heart forever..." _I read aloud, but I wasn't sure if anyone else could hear me.

"I kind of borrowed it," Zelos confessed, fumbling with his hair between his fingers. "I hope you don't mind."

Tears began to well in my eyes as I let the sight of the necklace of his soak in, periodically gawking back at Zelos, who seemed a tad embarrassed as well.

A special, familiar sensation began to fly through the course of the body I had.

No other sound but a racing beat reached my ear, shallow breathing following promptly afterwards.

...It was sensation...

...I hadn't felt in such a long time...

**It was bringing everything back... **

_'...Zelos...I-I...I can't believe it...' _

"Oh, Zelos, that's gorgeous!" Colette exclaimed, peering over my shoulder. "Who came up with the words?"

_'You have no idea...do you?_

"Uh...I actually kind of did that on a whim. I-I mean, I wanted it to be something about a bell, so I just wrote that down and said to engrave it on the necklace..."

'_You don't know...'_

"Wow, bet it was a ton of money," Lloyd said.

'_... how this makes me feel...'_

"Nah. I've got too much money." Zelos chortled, rolling his eyes.

'_You don't understand what it means....' _

"Both of us do," Regal concurred.

'_....when __**you're**__ the one that makes my heart flutter...' _

The rest of the evening vanished.

_'...You've done it before...' _

One by one they took their leave.

_' When my world wasn't so big...' _

Lloyd, Colette, Genis and Raine headed home for Iselia.

_'...when you weren't really sure if I was real...' _

Regal and Presea ventured on to Altamira.

_'...Or a ghost...' _

And Zelos departed for Meltokio.

_'When we were both...' _

And as I watched him leave.

_'...a little bit younger...' _

And I was thrown into a whirlwind of the past.

_'...and it was __**our**__ world...' _

I spent the rest of the night dreaming.

_'...a world I still keep under lock and key...' _

I dreamt of the days when Zelos and I first met.

_'...a world...I never really forgot...' _


	4. Tiger Lily

_**A/N:**_ _Guess it's time again for me to update. I just wanna thank everyone who has reviewed this story so far. The Sheelos Community is so welcoming--I feel like everyone here and who reads and reviews my story are my good friends. XD This is so much fun, I just can't help but gush! _

_This chapter definitely is one of my favorites--it's a Sheena/Zelos 'when they were young' kind of thing; those types of stories are always my favorites, so I decided to take my own spin on it. It's probably not as detailed as it would have been had I made this a one-shot, but I wrote as well as I could without going over the top. I have the rest of the story to think about and didn't want to mull over the little things quite yet. _

_Please read and review! It really makes my day. Thank you! :) _

_

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_**Chapter Three: Tiger Lily**_

Why I was being forced into attending school outside of Mizuho made no sense to me. All the reasons that the Vice-Chief had provided me with were abortive in reaching the commonsensical area of my mind. I believed I had had enough hardships with the Research Institute while I learned and honed my summoning arts; being transferred to the Imperial Research Academy was squandering my valuable time. None of the other Mizuhoan youth would be present at the school, only those who could afford the tuition, obtained scholarships due to intelligence and the nobles of Meltokio, the capital city, who were privileged enough to be allowed in free of charge (mostly because their parents were generous benefactors). Either way, I had resigned myself to the thoughts of misery I did not doubt I would experience. Watching the uncensored highlights and panoramas of the noble metropolis managed to provoke incessant surges of anxiousness and indignation. Sybak, in contrast, was visibly harmless, yet the school that was satiated with Meltokian prepubescents would incontrovertibly bring those same emotions back into play.

The Vice-Chief had permitted Orochi to shepherd me to the front gate of the academy on my first day. Things would have been a lot easier for me had Vice-Chief sent Orochi to school as well. I would have at least known one person, although Orochi and I would have been separated by grade due to the fact he was sixteen and I thirteen. Prior to my admission, Vice-Chief and Grandpa had educated me with strong math and reading dexterity. There was a likely chance I could have qualified for a higher ranking –I would be finding out my evaluation scores when I went to the Dean's office— which would have meant Orochi and I have ended up together no matter what. Sadly, however, Vice-Chief confessed that Orochi couldn't keep me company because of the lack of funds and my friend's overt desire to focus on his proficiency as a ninja of Mizuho and not a scholar; meek, vulnerable Little Sheena Fujibayashi would be going it alone.

...To some extent.

It didn't take long for me to favor Sybak over Meltokio. Sybak was nowhere near as daunting as Meltokio in grandeur or in population. Where the royal city had carried a certain musky odor of expensive perfumes, fine wine and fresh foods, there were also the smells of dirt, rotting meat and sour milk from the throngs of the fruitless, downtrodden inhabitants of the slums (I felt as though the hearts of Mizuhoans and those that lived in the less lavish parts of the city were entwined as one; we were both heavily overlooked by the aristocracy and deemed as wretched and filthy by everyone else. There were nights that I spent at the institute where I would pray for the Goddess to bless "my people"—the unseen and the destitute— and to lend them her strength for the coming days of hardship); another disparity between Meltokio and the town of scholastic devotion. Not a one of them wore any article of clothing that was not flawless from head to toe in the required uniforms. Scuff-less shoes and cuff links, to boot. In my opinion, they were much more refined then the community that roamed the noble city streets (though the mainstream of the students were possibly of Meltokain derivation). Fragrances of unopened books and shoe polish fluttered in the clear breeze that toyed with the hanging locks of my ponytail; there was no putrid or grimy whiffs as far as my nose could tell. An overall contented atmosphere; miles from what Meltokio could say.

My friend and I kept our steps in harmony trekking from beginning to end the town. Each pound of our feet on the cobblestones meant we were that much closer to the school building, and Orochi was that much closer to leaving my side. Peering from behind a strand of hair that dangled by my peripheral vision, the expression on his face exhibited perturbation and puzzlement. Seeing him in such a state didn't help to allay my restlessness from rising. The stiffness of his posture, vacant, hard eyes; there was positively **something** out of place, and I needed to know what if I was ever going to be able to walk inside that gigantic edifice single-handedly.

"What's wrong...Orochi?" I croaked, my throat dry.

He bit his lower lip at my question.

"I...I don't think this is right,"

I snorted. "How do you think I feel? I **know** this isn't right. I'm not smart enough to be in the Imperial—"

"That's not what I meant!" Orochi hissed. "I-I...you shouldn't be here without anyone else from the village. It's dangerous."

'_...Wow...Orochi and I are on the same page...for once...' _

"I think so too," I beamed, laughing. "But...well...maybe...I guess Vice-Chief thinks I should be on my own, you know?

"You're...still a child..." he grumbled, not meeting my gaze.

"Hey, that's not fair!" I bleated. "I'm a teenager! I'm **thirteen**! And I'm a ninja now, just like you!"

"No, now you're a **student**," His pitch was condescending. "You won't be a ninja until you've **finished school**."

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes. "I'm only going for—what—a year, right?"

Orochi's nose twitched. "That's what Vice-Chief says..."

"So after a year's up, I'll begin my **ninja** training!"

"...Mmhmm..." was his answer.

"That's better, right?" I teased.

"...I suppose so..."

That was the part of Orochi that left me in a state of constant mystification. Whatever fork was placed before me on the road of my life, he'd end up peeved with both of my options. My studious path irritated him, and the prospect of my ninja career—from what I gathered by his body language and tone of voice—didn't sit well with him either. Orochi couldn't be pleased.

'_...Well, what does it matter what he thinks, anyway...' _

Orochi could remain unsatisfied with my life as far I as I was concerned. I loved my friend dearly, but **I**, not he, held the master control of my destiny; I was free to do as I wished. Being a ninja was my lifetime goal, and I wasn't about to let anything, not even a year of school in Sybak, thwart that vision.

After the next corner turned, a huge, ornate building that could rival that of the Church of Martel in bravura and reverence standing unashamedly exposed at the last section of Sybak. Trying to debate that this could not be the building seemed futile to me; it was grand to the point of being fairly ostentatious—again, like the Church of Martel in Meltokio—and, of course, the other boys and girls that were walking inside of the thing sported the same uniform as mine. Go figure. It immediately came to my attention that they were all incredibly attractive young people, mostly blonde with lovely round eyes of a light color—usually light green or a sandy brown. I had never felt so out of place with my dark hair and sharply curved orbs of amber. Half-elves had dominated the labs at the Elemental Research Labs, so fretting about the bigoted minds of humans hadn't transpired. Half-elves were respectable people if their kindheartedness was returned, yet these individuals would look upon them with scorn. I knew I would share the same fate, for my people were treated equally with half-elves—we were rejected.

Surprisingly enough, it didn't bother me as much as it used to.

Orochi grabbed my arm as we came to a halt at the front gate, a few teenagers passing us on the way. He spun me around so that we were locked in a stare that I could not escape from. The seriousness in his eyes was absolutely unsettling, but if I turned away or tried to get him to turn me loose, he'd only hold me tighter with that obdurate resolution.

"Don't even think about them," he whispered; I could barely hear him. "You're here to learn; it doesn't matter what they say about you. I want you to remember that, you hear me?"

I couldn't help but feel a bit cosseted by the way he'd spoken to me; as if I didn't know what I was getting into. Granted, there was no way I could **fully** comprehend my situation, but I had received enough experience from the labs to have a vague idea. He had no place to follow me on my heels like I couldn't tell left from right. Orochi's presence was no longer necessary for me to swallow my pride and walk forward. I was beginning to feel glad that he wasn't coming with me. If anything, I could prove to him once more that I could take care of myself.

I rolled my shoulders to get him to let me go, turning my nose up to show my pride. "I'll be **fine. **I know better; don't worry so much! You know what they say—worrying gives your stomach ulcers and your face early wrinkles."

He grinned, but it was obvious by his contorted face that he was endeavoring to keep our conversation staid.

"...I just...I want you to know that people are cruel, especially the upper class. They may say things—"

"Then I'll brush it right off," I winked, crossing my arms to show him my self-assurance, though there wasn't as much there as I made it out to be. "Nobles can be nobles. I'll be better than them; I'll be Mizuhoan!"

Orochi laughed lightly, ruffling my hair like he would always do when I spoke with strength.

"I'm proud of you, Sheena. I know you'll be fine. I'll be right here to pick you up after school. Have a good day..."

He hugged me once, and I hugged him back, patting his shoulders lovingly as to get him to move faster. After a few more seconds of staring, he turned his back and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Here we go," I mumbled to myself, tightening my arms around the bundle of books I had been carrying.

'_**I'll be Mizuhoan?' That was a bit corny, Sheena. **_

"Shut it, or I'll stuff you in a trash can for the whole day," I spat at the voice coming from the invisible animal on my shoulder.

_**Sorry, sorry! I was just trying to make you feel better... **_

"I know—I know...thanks for coming with me..."

_**I'll never leave your side, Sheena! You know that. **_

"I do...you're awesome, Corrine..."

_**You're just figuring this out now? **_

"...You're pushing it again..."

_**Sorry! ... **_

I couldn't remember a time when I'd been so grateful that Corrine could hide himself from the world; something I wished I could have done at certain points of my life. Ever since the moment I had stolen him from the Elemental Research Lab, he and I had been joined at the hip almost as much as Orochi and I were. Corrine had refused to let me spend my hours at the Imperial Academy without him, and I didn't have much of craving to tell him no, so we agreed that he would spend the day on my shoulder, hidden from the naked eye; another reason why I wasn't too concerned about Orochi leaving me behind. If Corrine was by my side, I could do anything.

I kept my eyes forward and refused to let them drift from the sight of the creaking doors that allowed entrance to the foyer. I could already feel the heat of petty glances and curious glimpses, and seeing them myself would only cause me excess distress. There was a giggle from a gaggle of girls to my left; I wasn't sure if it was meant for me or if someone had said something humorous. Corrine said nothing about it—had he done so, I would have known for sure it was me—so I blocked it out. As soon as I crossed the threshold into the lobby, I was swathed by immense wonder without delay. Fighting the urge to touch the dinosaur skeleton in the middle of the lobby was just as problematical as fighting the urge to scream and test for an echo. The light from the sun through the windows shone upon the polished wood, making it glow as if it were metal. Velvet red stairs, neoclassical architecture—if I hadn't known any better, I would have said it **was** the Church of Martel.

_**Snazzy, huh? **_

"Yeah..." I breathed.

"Can I help you?" the voice of a woman withdrew me from my state of awe.

Rotating my head to the side, I caught the lady who had called for me. A thin, pasty white woman who wore a blonde bun in her hair had positioned her body to face me directly, her hands folded over where her lap should have been, her mouth a grim slash.

"Ye-yes!" I called out a bit too loud, running to the desk she stood behind.

On the bright side, I heard the echo.

"My...I'm Sheena. Sheena Fujibayashi. ...I was signed up to start school today..."

The woman picked up a large stack of papers, flipping through each one meticulously. Not once did she seem to be the least bit delighted to lend a hand.

_**Her bun is tied too tight, don't you think? **_

I audibly choked back a laugh, which caused her to look up from her paperwork.

"Is something funny?" She was cantankerous.

"Oh-oh, n-n-no ma'am!" I faked a cough. "I-I-I just...I coughed. I'm sorry. Excuse me..."

"Hmph, you're excused," she wrinkled her nose as if she had smelt a foul stench.

A few more seconds of rummaging went by, and she finally plucked and single sheet and handed it to me by pinching the end of it; almost like it was dirty.

"Fujibayashi, Sheena. You've been placed in grade three math and language arts, and grade two Magitechnology and Tethe'allan history. Break periods are at noon and last until one. I guess you could call it 'lunch.' Please obey the rules set by our directors and by our professors."

"...What class do I go too now?" I asked meekly.

The secretary took in a deep breath.

"It's ten o'clock. You're lower classes will start first, as said so on the sheet I just gave you. You have Tethe'allan history first, then your Magitechnology, language arts, and math at the end of the day. You're break period is at twelve, so that's after your science class, you'll stay for an hour on break—do you understand where I'm going with this?"

'_Orochi was right; they do say unkind things...' _

"Ye-Yes. Thank you, ma'am...where would the rooms—"

"There are room numbers that match your class on the schedule I **just** gave you."

"Oh. Thank you ma'am."

She said nothing more, only took a seat and started to scrawl on another piece of paper. I didn't delay my exit to observe.

'_**Do you understand where I'm going with this?' **_ Corrine mocked her.

I coughed to veil my laugh.

{{{{{{{{{{

My feelings were mixed about the first half of the day. Though I didn't know much about Magitechnology –Mizuhoan culture was exceedingly conservative— and Tethe'allan history was weak for me, learning had not been an issue, for I took pleasure in broadening my education. Youth that had become my classmates were making the experience less gratifying. Most of the students—and I bet Corrine everything I owned they were all from Meltokio—were brash and uncouth to the poor instructor who was only trying to do his job. Unfortunately for me, my plans of staying unspoken and disregarded went up in a cloud of smoke after that; the woman who was teaching the Magitechnology called me up to the front of the classroom and told everyone my obviously foreign name. I fell prey to obnoxious stares, repulsed sneers and petty sniggers for the rest of the day. Never in my life had I been so appreciative of Corrine's uplifting words. Had he not reminded me that a sign of being a better person inside was refusing to lash out at those that degrade you, I would have said some very hurtful things to them and not felt one drop of regret.

There was no possible way of conveying how I truly felt without humiliating myself when the professor sent us away for our lunch break. A wide courtyard with marble tables and a few oak trees at each corner had been built for the purpose of relaxation during our dismissal. The Imperial Research Academy did not do us the honor of providing a meal, and I had not packed food from home, so I decided to take my obscure summon spirit and a thick novel to read and settle under a tree for the hour. Though the book appeared interesting by the cover, I ended up leaving it unopened; Corrine and I merely people-watched.

_**They all look so phony, **_he whined.

"I'm sure some of them are good," I said, but I could hear my voice falter.

_**How would you know? **_

"I don't. But you don't know if they're all phony, do you? Huh?"

_**...Well...yeah... **_

"See!"

_**But did you see the way they looked at you?! On the outside, they look nice, but they're really evil on the inside... **_

"Orochi warned me about that already, Corrine. I'm not going to let it bother me. Besides, they didn't **all **give me nasty looks."

**...**_**I still don't trust them... **_

"You don't trust **anyone**."

_**I trust you! **_

"Other than me?"

_**... **_

I beamed. "Thought so."

The discussion was over.

There was a small horde of boys that gathered underneath the tree to the northwest, a couple under the tree to the southwest, a few more people by the one to the northeast, and Corrine and I occupied the last tree on the southeast. Others were spread out across the grass, and there was a group that had more children than all the others who huddled in the middle. I figured them to be the "popular" crowd (a.k.a, the kids who were the richest and the best looking). They were the ones I observed the most. There were pretty girls and fine-looking gentleman, all amused and talking with smugness as well as jollity. As a flight of fancy, I started to covet the thought of being able to join them in their cheery romp, but I was smart enough to know that would never happen. I was an outcast, and they were loved by the entire world. It just wouldn't work that way.

"They...sure look happy..." I cast my eyes away mumbled, feeling a tad dejected.

'_**Oh, look at me, I'm rich and I get whatever I want!'**_

"Corrine—"

_**That's why their happy Sheena; you know it. **_

"Yeah, but—"

Corrine's yip interrupted my complaint.

"Hey, why are all the girls in that circle?"

"Wh-what?"

Acting on reflexes, I shot my head up and searched every speck of the area I could see to find my target. Sure enough, Corrine was correct. All of the females that had once been spread out now congregated a little south of where they had previously assembled, and their numbers were growing. Excitement and confusion intermingled throughout my body, sending quakes up and down my arms and legs. Some force, I presumed, was gushing off of whatever was around the mass, and it was drawing me in also; some sort of trap for women. Moments crawled by like hours, and with each passing minute, my shuddering increased in magnitude. Ultimately, the young women began to part—I guessed to let the thing move or get some air—leaving a gap between the bodies, one figure sticking out from the multitude.

'_...Oh...' _

And that was the first time I saw him.

He was gorgeous, to say the least. Where all of the other students had been blonde or a frail brunette, this teenage boy had curling, vibrant red hair that fell to the center of his back, the top by his forehead parted in an adorable fashion to the left. His eyes had a slit like mine, but there were some spherical qualities to them. The size and shape seemed irrelevant to the richness of the color—a luminous cerulean blue that could stop a heartbeat in record time. As he spoke, the words rolled from his lips smoother than a bow sliding over a note on a cello. His school attire was flamboyantly one of a kind; he wore a plain white button up shirt— sleeves rolled to the elbow and tucked in neatly and for that dash of class— and a loosely knotted tie of black with matching slacks. Shining teeth, unblemished skin; every inch of him was perfect. Yet, I could not shake the feeling that there was something peculiar about him; something...inhuman. His ability to allure performed at a proficiency level that was much too mature for his age. Schoolgirls flocked to his faultlessness like naive moths to hungry flames, and this awesome energy threatened to swallow me right along with them. He couldn't have been from this world...from this cosmos. I was convinced he must have been...an angel. That was the only justification I could deem credible. I wanted to reach out and touch him, just to make sure he wasn't a mirage; some fantasy induced by exhaustion.

My heart soared at the pace of a hummingbird's wings, and my stomach fluttered with butterflies. Heat traveled from the back of my neck to my cheeks and ears, drowning them in a sea of red. Inhaling and exhaling became complex. I couldn't look away. I had to stare at him, for I was afraid that if I didn't ogle, he would fade, and I'd never see him again. I had by no means ever felt a feeling like this prior to that moment, and I would have not traded it for anything. One by one, every other mortal being vanished like dust in the wind, and my world became simply he and I.

And I **loved** it.

I** fell in love **with him.

"...Oh..." I thought I said, but I wasn't sure. All the other sounds including the ones I made all sounded muffled as I strained to concentrate on him and him alone.

_**Sheena? **_

'_...Corrine...that was him, right...?' _

_**Hey, Sheena! **_

"..."

_**Hey! Hey! What's going on, what are you—Oh. That guy with the red hair? **_

"...Uh-Uh huh..."

_**Who is he? **_

"...I don't know..." I dreamily sighed, finally acknowledging my friend. "...But I **want** to..."

_**I'll do it, Sheena! I'll find out who he is for you! **_

"I-I-I...I don't know, Corrine....he-he—augh..."

Tear-jerking reality smacked me brutally and unremittingly. This heavenly being had no idea that I **lived**, let alone I'd fallen head over heels for him in a split second. Moreover, to challenge that the redhead could not have belonged to the royal family or a branch in close proximity would have been desperately inane. And the icing on the cake was this; I was not only a commoner, but Mizuhoan—a race and culture that had been spurned from the land of the prosperous in the distant past. He would think I was garbage; a disgusting lowlife; fouler than dirt under nails...he would hate me, reject me, and break my heart into irreparable fragments, for he was of the high-born, and I at the bottom of the chain. I would do best to forget him entirely and move on...I could never be with a man so grandiose; so dazzling.

Nonetheless, my heart would not set me free.

The accumulation of truths swirled before me like a thunderous tempest...but diving into the profound blue pool of his eyes, the yearning to know the sensation of his saccharine breath on my face, the curiosity of what the texture of his hands would be if they were to cradle my own...the musings that came from the sentiments of my spirit—which were anything but spurious— would annihilate the bitter facts of our placement in society in its inexorable grip. I didn't care that he was a noble. I didn't care if he loathed the sight of me. What I felt was real—I wanted it to be real—and if he never even gave me the time of day, I would sit there content. I knew that. All I needed was his name, and I could die right then; happier than I had ever been in months.

'_...I...don't know...who you are...' _

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my tiny Corrine slip out into the throng of people that I chose not to identify.

'_...I...don't know...if you can hear me...' _

In a cloud of smoke, Corrine concealed himself.

'_...I...don't even know...if you're really there...' _

Time declined into nothingness.

'_...I...know that you...probably won't listen...' _

I just wanted his name.

'_...to the song my heart is singing...' _

And I would have no regrets if death were to follow me at that instant.

'_...to the words my lips are mouthing...' _

His merry smile sent my pulse racing.

'_...But...that's alright...' _

All of a sudden, Corrine came back into view.

'_...If it means...you won't wither...' _

And he scampered, undetected, in my direction.

'_...You...can overlook me...'_

I could see something in his mouth; paper of some sort.

'_...I'll...remain in the shadows...' _

But I never once peeled my main focus from him; my angel.

'_...and love you from afar...' _

_**Sheena! Look! I stole a paper from one of his books. I think it has his name at the top. **_

'_...all I ask...' _

Corrine gently placed the sheet in my hands.

'_...is for one favor...' _

At a snail's pace, I bent my head to see the name that my summon spirit spoke of.

'_...please... _

And I read the name aloud, savoring each syllable on my tongue.

'_...grant my new wish...' _

"...Zelos...Wilder..."

' _...a name...'_

{{{{{{{{{{

The remains of my school hours were spent within my reveries. When my Zelos Wilder departed from my presence, I did not consent to his divine image following suit. Somehow, a mental barrier had shaped around the likeness that became a memory faster than I had thought, and it wasn't allowing anything in or out. Fortuitously, my language class had recently begun a study of a novel I had read a handful of years ago, _Romeo and Juliet_—one of my favorites—so my mind's eye meandered within the blockade without leaving me to fret over mislaid information. I decided after the professor dismissed us for our last class that it would be in my best interest if I were to re-read the play at my home in Mizuho; however, my homework came first.

Mathematics was a whole other story.

Lost did not even begin to describe what happened to me while I was searching for the room number that would be where I would learn advanced arithmetic. I had rushed up and down the three flights of stairs more times than I could count, and, I was beginning to take into consideration that I could not tell between right and left anymore. The directions on the slip that the insensible woman behind the desk shoved in my hands told me in black, bold letters 'C-one-zero-three.' I had found section A and B easily; section C must have been nonexistent, for I had eventually wound up in section D. Time had gone by quickly, for I was unaccompanied in the elaborate, portentous hallways. Cursing myself for being a coward and not asking for directions, the contemptuous witch who had acted in such an appalled behavior and even Corrine for leading me down a path that I found out had led to the laboratories where the half-elves toiled.

_**Did you even **__see__** section C? **_Corrine questioned for the umpteenth time.

"I **told** you I never **saw** **it**!" I spat, biting down on my bottom lip.

_**Fine! I'm trying to help! **_

"...I **hate** **it** here..." I said, disdainfully, my voice cracking while trying to fight the tears.

With no will left to prolong my voyage, I slunk to my keens in the end corner of the section B corridor. It took me a minute to finally realize that I was crying; more often than not, there would be sobbing involved when I did weep, but strange noises had yet to emerge from my gullet. Warm water trickled from my long eyelashes, cascading down the slope of my somewhat pink cheeks, rounding out on my chin, the remnants of the drip falling into my lap, staining the dark blue skirt of my uniform with a damp, dark dot. They quickly multiplied, and with each new tear, I grew slightly more disorientated. I didn't even know **why **I was crying. I'd gotten lost in the Gaoracchia Forest at least once a week during my lessons at the Elemental Research Laboratory, and not once had I ever cried because I couldn't find my way, yet here I was, bawling over a few wrong turns in a **school**; no threat of me being killed here legitimately subsisted, contrasting that perverse jungle of trees. Perhaps the reason could have been that I was less familiar with this area than Gaoracchia. Or it could have been that I was out of the region of Mizuho. Maybe it was that I had no comfort of knowing that there was more than one escape route.

They were excellent excuses.

I didn't want to admit reality.

I didn't want to say I was afraid because there was no one to save me.

I didn't want to accept my weakness.

_**Don't cry Sheena! Everything'll be fine; don't worry. I promise to save you! **_Corrine vainly attempted to incite my fictional bravery.

"For-for...just forget it, Corrine..." I sniffled. "I-I'm fine...I-I-I-I don't even...even know why I'm crying..."

_**Do you want me to go off on my own—**_

"No!" I murmured uneasily. "I'll-I'll be more upset if-if I'm...you know...by myself."

_**But how are you—**_

"I'll find a-a way, ok?" I could hear my fatigue as I spoke.

_**...Ok, Sheena. **_Corrine obsequiously whispered.

I shut my eyes as tightly as possible to bring the tears to a standstill, leaning my head against the wall of the corner so that my face was held upright.

"Now...if I just knew where to go..." I breathed a ragged sigh.

"...Now this **isn't** something I like to stumble upon on such a pleasant day."

_**Sh-Sheena! **_Corrine garbled in astonishment.

But I was already two steps ahead of him.

I had heard that voice before...only in my daydreams.

'_...the voice...smoother than a bow sliding over a note on a cello...' _

It was my red-haired angel, hovering over my slumped, sobbing form, blue eyes gleaming with benevolence.

My Zelos Wilder.

"...I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting **you **before...have I?"

My mouth tried to move, but the mere sight of him was so assiduously overpowering, my brain had clumsily lost control of its gearshift, leaving me speechless, wide-eyed and confused.

"...I'll take the silence as a no," he chuckled, extending his hand to lift me off the ground.

_**Sheena, this is the Zelos guy! Say something! **_

I nodded vaguely to let Corrine know I had heeded his statement.

"...N-No...we...I...that is to say...I just...I know-um-I saw..."

"You're words are kind of muddled, hunny..." One of his eyebrows lowered.

"...I-I...I'm sorry!" I said a little too loudly. "I-I...I'm lost..."

"Ah, so you **are** new here!" He took my hand and lifted me off the floor himself. "I knew you must have been. I would have definitely remembered a girl as pretty as you."

Zelos' hand was warm, inviting and affectionate as it held mine in its gentle grip—exactly what I had expected. Red suffused my pale cheeks at his flattering words, and I wasn't sure about what else to say to him. Fiddling away the time in my language arts with the thoughts of what I could and what I would speak with him about if the opportunity had ever presented itself had forsaken me, so I stood before him a dribbling imbecile.

I saw him smirk at my nervousness.

"...So where are you headed, sweetie? Maybe I can be of some assistance?"

"...Well, I-I-I...I was trying to-uh-um-trying to find...se-se-section-uh...section C?"

His eyes sparkled with excitement; like sunlight on the waving ocean. I swooned.

"Oh really now? Well, that's no problem at all, hunny! I'm headed that way myself. What class room?"

"Um...C...C one-zero-three. It-It's um...math...yeah..."

_**Since when are you such a stutterer, Sheena? Huh? Huh? **_

'_...You are _**so **_going in that trash can now...' _

"No kidding!? That's where I'm going!" He winked; my heart melted. "Looks like we're gonna be classmates."

"That-that's great!" I cheered a bit too enthusiastically. "...Does..um...uh-uh...n-never mind, hahahaha..."

Zelos' head slanted in interest. "Does what?"

"Does it mean...um...we're...friends?"

Something happened in his face then that I thought was quite uncharacteristic of the Zelos I had seen earlier on. His eyes squinted, his expression tightened—his dimples became shy, and his frown lines lucid. I affiliated it with the appearance of a person who had been reading a lingo that they believed to be incongruous. His stare became progressively more intense as mine became more baffled and chapfallen.

"...That's...all?" he hesitated.

_**What the heck does that mean?**_

"I-I...I don't follow...?"

"...That's...all you want? You just...want to be friends? Nothing...more?"

Frankly, my actions would have been incredibly supine had he suggested being more than friends, but because of my proper heritage and the instinctive craving to merely be at his side—no matter what we felt for one another—had me ready for anything.

"...If...If **you **want to be friends...that's all...all **I **want..."

An unpretentious smile blossomed on Zelos' face; he squeezed my hand tightly—in gratitude, it seemed—and it sent my heart aflutter.

'_...What you have done...' _

"Of course! I'd want nothing more to be just friends with you, umm...hahaha...what's your name?"

'_..by simply...' _

"Sheena," I said bashfully; faintly proud. "My name is Sheena Fujibayashi."

'_...holding my hand...' _

"Wow, that's a tongue twister. I think I'll just call you Sheena."

'_...by simply...' _

"That's fine!" I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Sheena is fine!"

'_...calling my name...' _

"Hahaha, good," He pulled my hand forward, leading me down the stairs. "My name is—

'_...by simply...' _

"Z-Z-Zelos! I-I..know your name...it-it's...Zelos...Wilder..."

'_...being my guide...' _

His face fell, then. "...You...know who I am..."

'_...is that...you've shown me...' _

I fingered a stray hair beside my temple. "...I-um-acutally...just know y-your name...haha..."

'_...there is...' _

Then his face perked. "Great! Let's go then."

'_...such a thing as...' _

I would have followed him to the end of the earth and back.

'_...a caring heart here...' _

{{{{{{{{{{

Gravity as I knew it had shifted, and now my life—my world, my **universe**—had begun to revolve around this boy.

He had become my sun.

My light.

My air.

He had...become my life **itself**.

Thus, we were inseparable.

Zelos Wilder was not seen without Sheena Fujibayashi by his side, and vice versa. Some went as far as to spread rumors that the sixteen year old Zelos and the thirteen year old Sheena were passionate lovers, we were betrothed in an arranged marriage to make peace between the King of Tethe'alla and my village, that he and I were actually distant relatives, or that he bought me as a personal servant from the Vice-Chief in Mizuho. He and I had shared many a furtive joke about the commotion we had birthed, but had snubbed it as ineffectual prattle. We were together, that was really all we needed. We'd become so congenial, I had begun to call him my Tiger Lily, a flower based of a Mizuhoan legend that symbolized eternal friendship, but it also stood for wealth and prosperity—something Zelos had that I did not. I decided that I would tell him that I had picked this nickname for him on my last day of the academy. Until then, it was my secret.

Orochi was not thrilled about our platonic closeness—which was putting it nicely. The day I came home raving about Zelos to the Vice-Chief and the Azumi brothers, they all showed their own feelings in their own particular way. Vice-Chief showed the largest part of the gladness, saying that it was good for me to make friends outside the village, for I would never know when I would find myself away from the thoughtful arms of Mizuho and would require an abettor. Kuchinawa did not say much, but came clean and wished me luck in a friendship with a Meltokian. Orochi stridently declared that I should not be correlated with the posh and the haughty. My reply to my friend was, in less civil terms, was that I valued Zelos' friendship in measurements he couldn't even dream of comprehending, and if our relationship disconcerted him, he would just have to learn to cope.

Massive amounts of our spare time were spent jointly—I'd snuck out of my room and night and traveled all the way to Meltokio once when I'd had a nightmare, sneaking in his room and lying beside him until the sun was half way raised. We'd swim and catch fish with our bare hands in the creek near the village, but far enough away so that Zelos could stay without fear of chastisement on my part, make shapes from clouds out in the sunny open fields and count stars at in darkness. Swiftly, I learned that Zelos was exceptionally popular among the ladies at the Imperial Research Academy (I could understand why.), and had received many a threat against my personal safety. I wasn't too vexed; he never failed to take my side of the squabble.

Zelos and I told each other everything; I don't think there wasn't anything I kept from him...putting aside the instantaneous way I had become smitten. I confessed the accident with Volt and what it had done to Grandfather, my time at the Elemental Research Labs, my fears of failure, the unavoidable seclusion that would manifest where ever I would roam, and my desire to be loved unconditionally. In turn, he revealed to me the sobering death of his feeble mother, his uncontrollable urge to put on a face for everyone to accept him so he would not be deserted once again, and the unexpected announcement that he was, as a matter of fact, not like the rest humanity.

He was the Chosen One of Tethe'alla.

He was the descendant of angels.

Of course, this was no news to me. I'd known he was an angel from the start.

I still loved him with the same quantity of dedication; it was really no big deal.

I'd cried the whole night and far into the morning hours when I discovered I was finally being withdrawn from the school in Sybak. My year had gone by so quickly with him at my side, and now we would have to depart. Zelos was as saddened as I was about it. He was much more gallant than I was, however; he didn't shed one tear, but the way I saw his eyes dim at my news made me feel like he wanted to, he just wasn't able to. Class went by in a downcast blink, and I was given permission to walk with Zelos down to the end of the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge, but had to leave promptly. We started our journey with cheery attitudes, but as the gap between the two ends little by little became smaller, our pace slowed and our speech grew meaningful.

"...When I first met you," Zelos said despondently. "...I...I didn't want to tell you I was the Chosen..."

"Why didn't want you tell me?" I asked him earnestly.

"...I...I don't like being the Chosen..."

My eyebrows lifted from surprise.

"...You...don't like being an angel?"

He didn't look at me.

"...I...I just want to be normal. I don't want to have to act all angelic all the time just to please everyone else. I don't want everyone to love me because I'm the Chosen. I...I want someone to love me for...being me. I want to be liked for Zelos Wilder, not the Chosen One."

"I'll always like you for being Zelos..." I mumbled, chewing on the inside of my cheek.

He turned up to me then, that untainted smile that I adored festooned on his lips.

"...That's...why I like you, Sheena."

I threw my blood suffused complexion away from his as he spoke.

"...Because you were the first person who wanted to be my friend; you didn't even know I was the Chosen, but you still stood by me...you're everything I've always prayed for..."

I couldn't say or do anything. I just nodded and walked.

When we reached the end of the bridge, the now seventeen year old Zelos clutched my now fourteen year old forearm in his arm, forcing me to stare up at his stupefying orbs of effervescent blue with a subtle tinge of grey. Both soles of my feet dissolved, gluing me to the spot where they had stopped, rendering me motionless. The slate color burning with a type of passion I hadn't seen come from him in our months as companions; I had no idea what I was supposed to do.

"...Sheena..." he whispered vehemently. "...I...I **need** **you** **in my life**. Please...come back...come back to me..."

My heart was pounding so frantically I was sure that he could hear it as clearly as I could. Zelos wanted reassurance, and I didn't shilly-shally to give it to him. I would have given him anything to have him look at me that way.

"Of course, Zelos," I wrapped my arms around his neck as a gesture of devotion. "I'll...I'll return to see you again...no matter what..."

"...You promise?" His voice was desperate.

"Y-Yes..." I began to sob. "I-I promise! I don't-don't care **h-how **long it takes! Zelos Wilder, you're my Tiger Lily, and I—"

"I'm you're **what?**" He pulled me back from our embrace; I was left feeling empty all over.

"Uh...my-my...Tiger Lily...I called you my **Tiger Lily.**"

He blinked.

"What does that mean?"

"There's...there's this old story in Mizuho. A man who could use magic saved a wounded tiger, and the tiger...asked him to use his powers and allow their friendship to last even in death..."

At my pause, Zelos cupped my face in one hand, planting a chaste kiss on my forehead; I felt goose-bumps travel from the spot of the kiss down to the edges of my shoulders.

"...The man agreed to the tiger's wish," I continued, trying to prolong our departure. "...And when the tiger died...he became the Tiger Lily. One day, the man accidently drowned...and now...the Tiger Lily spreads everywhere...searching for his friend..."

"...Will you search for me, Sheena?" he stroked my hair fondly; something I had gotten used to. "...Will we find each other again?"

Tears staining my face, I shook my head to let him know that I thought so; if I would have spoken again, it would have come out as a broken sob.

'_...Haven't you...' _

Zelos' face inclined to mine—our lips were so close, I could feel them brush against each other as he spoke.

'_...figured it out yet...' _

"...Then...I'll be waiting..."

'_...my Tiger Lily...?' _

And he kissed me; the single most exhilarating moment of my teenage life.

'_...I will...' _

So I watched him become a red dot on the horizon.

'_...follow... _

He returned to his world, and I returned to mine.

'_...your voice...'_

With our days as one--that had seemed not too long ago--mere memories.

'_...all you have to do...'_

But only for a little while.

'_...is shout...' _


	5. Deviating from the Norm

_**A/N:**_ _Hello, ello! Haha. Ok, I know this update has lasted forever, but I just wanted to say this has probably been my least favorite chapter so far. :( I don't like it--it's kind of a dialogue chapter. It's like one of my shortest, but it's important to the story so...I guess it needs to be done. I just want to thank the Sheelos community again for their awesomeness and I also wanna thank everyone who reads and reviews my story. It gives me all sorts of worm fuzzies. =D I hope you enjoy this chapter--even though I don't, and reviews are always nice! I'd like some of them too! Thanks a ton! _

_--Also, this is just a random fact I wanted to say--after doing some research, I found out that the Sheelos page on this cite as more fics than any other page. Even the Colloyd pages. I thought that it was pretty cool. XD  
_

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_**Chapter Four: Deviating From the Norm**_

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"Sheena!!!!"

Orochi's bark salvaged me from the cloudy waters of days gone by.

"...Huh?"

My childhood friend's face scrunched with exasperation.

"Did you hear a **word** I said?"

My first reaction was to smile sheepishly; it had totally escaped me that he'd been in the headquarters of the Chief right from the outset. The reminiscing had sluggishly begun to gain an advantage over my habitual day-to-day thought ever since my former traveling companions and I parted ways, each bestowing me a gift that I cherished. Albeit they had left me with remarkable trinkets, I found myself yenning for their company in spite of that. Orochi engaging me in conversation single-handedly just didn't cut it any longer. Plus, the way he would carry himself whenever we were together—as though the sky were to fall and strike me dead at any moment—had assented to my last nerve deteriorating a long time ago.

"Sorry, I didn't—I was just all wrapped up in everything..." I put on my best innocent pout.

He transformed from incensed to sympathetic. Orochi's brows loosened, and his mouth curved into a penitent frown. I found myself wishing he would maintain the irritation that he'd had sweltering all over him just a second ago; his ardent remorse was much more unsettling to see.

"Forgive me, Sheena...I...I know you must feel...weighed down...by all of these responsibilities...but don't forget...that I...I am **always** here to help you...because I...I care—"

"Thanks, Orochi!" I broke apart his ramble with an overstated exclamation of gratitude. "You're my best friend...I don't know what I'd do without you."

What he did made me regret opening my maw to begin with.

At the affirmation of my dependence on him, the temperament of his features undertook another transmutation; diffident and repentant to powerful and enthralled. Orochi was at my feet before I had the option to excuse myself. While I sat on my bed, legs hanging over the side, he had dropped to his knees, hands resting limply over mine in—I presumed—an effort to demonstrate the adulation that had started to steadily develop; a perspicuously amorous pursuit to focus my attention on the said deed. Essentially, he was trying to get me to notice that he had started to feel something more than friendship between us.

"...Sheena..." Orochi breathed my name as though it were deified.

_'...Orochi, not this! Not now...!' _

"...I-I too...would be lost without...without you by my side..."

"...O-Orochi, listen I—"

"...Please, Sheena," He beseeched, seizing my hands in his. "...let me say this now...lest I lose my courage..."

A chill flowed down my spine at his words. No. I did not want to deal with whatever it was that he lacked the nerve to say. This was so because I had known from the very beginning what he Orochi out to tell me, and if he was determined to make a clean breast of it, then I could no longer go on pretending that it wasn't real. I had managed to neglect the signs that had not been as discernible—sprightly smiles and passing glances—for they were easy to miss. A tactless avowal was quite the reverse. To conclude, I would now have to interject the recollections of my previous activities and sentiments regarding the giver of my engraved necklace would take a place on the board.

The fact that such content was emancipating itself from the cage I had bound it to was enough for me to fuss over; throwing this into the mix was just useless stress I had no use for.

"...Orochi..." I sighed as though penalizing him. "...There's plenty of time, ok? What did you want to tell me before? If you have information or a job for me, it probably can't wait; what you need to say can **wait**."

I could practically feel the sting of my own hand striking me swiftly across the cheek for saying such boorish words to someone so precious. Humiliation filled Orochi's eyes to the brim, his once informal posture turning austere and reticent at my poignant demand. But what was I supposed to do? What he wanted to say required some preparation from my part; I hadn't yet decided on how to break the bad news to him. Avoiding reacting in a way that would only demean Orochi's emotions was the best course of action; I couldn't afford any more errors on my part.

Asking for a pardon would have to do for now.

"Orochi, I—augh...listen, that's not what I—I-I...I'm sor—"

"**No, Sheena**," he brought my apology to an obstinate standstill; gauzy frustration shining within his dark gold eyes. "You're...right. This...isn't the appropriate time or place. Please...forgive me..."

Atoning for my malign words did not work the way I had imagined. Orochi had always been that way. Whenever I took a noisome disposition with him, Orochi was convinced that he was liable; no "if's", "and's" or "but's" about it. It was the brotherly point of view he had set for himself whenever I was introduced into any circumstances he believed he should be implicated with. But what was I to do? I loved him exactly that way—he might as well have been my older brother by birth, yet I couldn't tolerate Orochi's aspiration of operating each microscopic factor of my life. I would not imperturbably sanction it. He should have been expressed regret for causing me gratuitous displeasure, not for foolhardy gestures.

"...Orochi, I...we—"

"It's **alright**, Sheena," nothing changed. "Truly. My intention was to relay a message to you; I should not have lost myself on such tangents..."

My face blossomed to life.

"A message? For me? From who?"

"...Lloyd was here this morning."

My lips became dehydrated.

"Lloyd? Why? What did he want?"

Orochi tensely shuffled his right foot back and forth.

"He has asked that you act as your duty as Emissary of Peace and retrieve a letter from the King of Tethe'alla in Meltokio."

Shockingly, my heart did not sink to my knees when I heard the name 'Meltokio.'

"...He wants me to go see the King for a letter? What's this letter about?"

Orochi set his back straight next.

"Something to do with the government in Sylvarant. It's addressed to the Mayor of Lloyd's hometown."

"Iselia."

"Yes. You are to bring it him as soon as possible."

A boastful grin arose from me.

"Doesn't sound too bad to me! The hardest part will be Meltokio..."

Lastly, Orochi let his eyes narrow and his eyebrows knit; however, it wasn't from resentment.

"If you want, Sheena, I could get the letter from—"

"No!" I ceased his proposition before he could draw it to a close. "I can get it. I'll be fine. Plus, I was...uh...um...I actually wanted to stop and—"

It was then that I caught sight of the boiling fury I had thought I would see.

"What do you mean? Who are you going to see?"

I snorted at his request. "Does that matter to **you**?"

"Yes. I think so."

"Wha-what?!" I gasped incredulously. "No, no it **doesn't**. I'm an adult, and I think I can make my own decision, thank you..."

"Sheena, this is **Meltokio **that we're talking about. The city—"

"—is something I know too well for my own good. I can handle it."

Orochi pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Will you at least tell me who you plan on—"

"Zelos, Orochi! **There**. I said it. I wanted to go see Zelos and—"

"Why?!" He glowered with eyes smoldering rage. "Why would you want to see **him** of all people?!"

I rolled my eyes. "Because I'm just **so in love** with Zelos I've decided to gi—"

"Don't you **DARE **talk about something like that that facetiously, Sheena!!!" I had never heard him yell so volubly; it made me jump.

"Please, Orochi! Honestly, you take what I say too **seriously**! I'm not—"

"Your...**chastity**...is a beautiful thing, Sheena—"

"Wha...what? What does **that **have to do with **anything**?"

"You know **perfectly well **what I mean. I don't trust that Chosen alone with you."

"Why?! We were alone a lot during our journey, and I was fine. Why can't I be alone with him **now**?"

"You know all too well how dangerous he can be—"

Orochi's mind had malformed from vaguely irrational to gallingly fatuous, and I couldn't his incongruity any longer.

"**Forget** **it**! Just-just—augh! ...I need to get ready to leave, now, okay? Can we talk about this when I get back?"

He stood there for a second; gazing vacuously, his thoughts taking their own sweet time in their state of undeclared ratiocination. By knowing Orochi so well, there was no need for me to surmise his views that he had yet to communicate. He was incensed, disappointed and a bit jealous of my impetuous desire to visit with my oldest friend beyond the walls of Mizuho.

_'...If it'd been up to him, you wouldn't know anyone outside of the village...' _

A histrionic, yet plausible contemplation that I dare not convey to him.

There was more Orochi wanted to say; I read it on his face.

But he didn't; he just walked out the door like a ghost.

The tautness in my muscles ebbed as I was left in solitude. I didn't think that Orochi totally grasped that his unplumbed need to control my choices and my life would increase twofold on every occasion that Zelos Wilder had his connection. I supposed I couldn't blame him for that; after everything that happened from the days of my adolescent years up to the present, had he and I switched shoes in some abnormal means, I would be the same way because trying to trust that philanderer took endurance...unless it was Lloyd or myself or one of those who ended up traveling with him on the journey to unite the worlds. Truth be told, I had, although it wasn't spoken, gobs of conviction in Zelos.

We...**cared** about each other.

And Zelos granting me the titivated bell that had once belonged to Corrine reminded me of that keenness.

The necklace hadn't left my neck since.

My hand found its way to the Corrine's keepsake; the bell was cold, but the warmth of my heart—the place where Verius took refuge—kept it from being nippy on the skin. Inching up forward, my fingers grazed the gold chain with a tentative placidness. How in the name of the Great Tree did he come up with the notion of dolling up my most prized possession to the point of comeliness—giving it the potentiality of a valuable trinket? Zelos could have just bought me any old bauble, but that wasn't what happened. He did something out of the kindness of his soul. Zelos didn't just want me to be happy with a gift—he wanted me to be happy. Reading the cryptic engraving made my conjecture watertight.

'_Your voice will ring...within my heart forever...' _

Paying him a visit changed from an offhand prospect to an imperative obligation—if only to ask him why exactly he had taken that course of action with my gift.

My psyche ambled in the region of the section of my brain I had produced for Zelos and Zelos only as I geared up to travel. Forget what he'd done with the souvenir—that absurd Chosen had been the mastermind behind the whole incident from the very beginning! He—not Lloyd or Colette or Grandpa—had organized the little jamboree by contacting each one, including my family in Mizuho—Zelos Wilder himself; no servants attached. Why? Why had he done that for **me**? Did he do it to make a scene, or did he do it out of sincerity? Had Grandpa been the real instigator of it all and used Zelos as his puppet? That did not sound like my grandfather. It had to be true; this had been Zelos' brainchild. Not knowing the answers to all my questions promptly riled me to the very core.

Nonetheless, I wouldn't have to wait too much longer.

As soon as I was ready, I sped through the arch that signaled the entrance to sheltered Mizuho and did not stop once until I reached the imperial city.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Orochi watching me leave through the window of the Chief's headquarters.

_'...__**Try**__ and stop me...' _

That would've been what Corrine might have said.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Thankful didn't even come close to exemplifying how I felt about the ease I had experienced as I navigated through the colossal flood of dignitaries to the Palace Tethe'alla. It was moderately unanticipated. As I moved, it almost seemed to me that they had willingly parted like a fork in a rushing river. I wasn't upbeat enough to regard it as etiquette, but as a gesticulation of antipathy. I took it with a grain of salt; they had their opinions and I had mine—once I got the note for Lloyd from the King and cross-examined Zelos, I would be out of their hair until any other consequential visits arose. Reaching the upper area of Meltokio where the castle, church and noble quarters resided, I did happen to see those four all too familiar faces of the women that typically tagged along at Zelos' heels like lost puppies looking for a benign hand to hold. He wasn't conscious to it, but I knew each one of them by name from preceding encounters that could be described as the reverse of ambrosial. The blonde one was Rachel, the brunette was Heather, the blue-haired one was Joan and the purple haired one was Bridgett. They had failed to notice my entrance—an advantageous sign—for the girls were so engrossed in their conversation; a thunderclap would have been like a pin dropping.

"...said that he didn't want **any** _**female**_ **company**! Could you **believe** it?!" Prattled blonde Rachel.

"Are you sure?!" Heather gasped, flapping her fan over her face as if she was about to crumple to the ground.

"It came straight from his butler!"

"Something's wrong with him," whined Bridgett. "The Chosen only refuses female company when there's a serious issue on his hands!"

I brought an end to my steps after that.

"Oh, I do hope it ends soon!" Rachel sulked.

"I don't know..." moaned Heather. "He's been like this before; a long while ago—before he left to help the Goddess join the worlds together."

_'...Before he left...when I left Lloyd and the others in Meltokio...when we came to Tethe'alla...' _

"I remember that!" chimed Joan. "He locked himself away in his home for the longest time..."

_'...It had to have been...but it couldn't be. That's ridiculous. It makes no sense. Why would he...' _

"How long was it again?" Rachel inquired.

"Oh...it was from March to...about mid July, I think," Joan replied.

My heart went into hysterical tremors.

_'...I left in March! We came back in July. I was gone in Sylvarant for five months...' _

No matter how intensely I analyzed it, the concept of Zelos taking refuge inside his empty, forlorn mansion without human contact for five months with me as the viable cause just wouldn't sink in. Why on earth would he do that just because of the mission as an assassin that I **volunteered** for? That couldn't be. Throwing me a party and beautifying my bell wasn't like me risking my life for the world we lived in. Yet Zelos was repeating this episode currently, according to his self-proclaimed ladies in waiting, and when it came to Zelos, I was sure their facts were mostly straight when they dealt with his personal health or outward procedures—this was no bit of propaganda.

I added this on the list of the other topics I planned to confer with him.

"Hey!" Rachel—the one who was, in my opinion, the meanest—shrieked nastily in my direction. "It's rude to be nosy!"

_'...If that isn't the pot calling the kettle black...' _

"Wait...isn't—that's Sheena!" Heather wrinkled her nose at me.

_'...Damn...' _

"Sorry," I hummed, restarting my saunter to the King's residence.

"You're not here to see the Chosen, are you?" Rachel asked me in a self-aggrandizing way. "Because he isn't accepting any female company, you know."

_'...He'd let __**me**__ in that house, you snotty little brat. I'd bet you my soul on it...' _

"Is that so?" I tried to look a tad alarmed, but detached as well. "He's probably just sick or something..."

"...Humph, like **you **would know..." Joan jeered.

_'...I know so much more about him than you do, I'd make your head spin...'_

"He must prefer **our** company," Bridgett sneered.

_'...The only difference between the company __**I**__ keep and the company that __**you**__ keep is that I chose not to sleep with him when he asks...' _

"Why would the Chosen confide in an outcast from **Mizuho** anyway?" Rachel added.

_'...A lot more than you would think...and, to give you a clue, he hates being called 'Chosen'. Shows how much __**you**__ know...' _

I shrugged. "I guess not, but I'm seeing him today, so I'll be finding out soon."

I turned and bustled up to the turgid castle doors without even bothering to look back at their expressions, which I knew were full of enmity and disbelief.

I had gone from the scornful eyes of the cronies to the scornful eyes of Princess Hilda as I marched down the main walk of the throne room with poise. King Tethe'alla offered me a smile, though, which cooled my nerves from the bitterness of the girls I had been exposed to. Our quid pro quo went by smoothly; writing the letter to the Mayor of Iselia had maladroitly escaped his mind due to the tomfoolery he was suffering through with the Church of Martel, and promised me that he would write it as soon as the chance arrived and have it hand delivered to Mizuho by none other than the Chosen, Zelos, himself.

"Is it a fair deal, Sheena Fujibayashi?" he inquired with humor.

"I agree," I beamed, trying to rush things along. "Deal."

'_The king is so much more bearable now...after that whole venture with the Great Tree...' _

"Very well. I won't keep you—it seems you're in a bit of a hurry."

I bit my bottom lip shamefacedly.

"I-I...I beg your pardon..."

"It's quite alright," he said in a way that reminded me of Grandpa. "I know what it means to be in a rush."

"Thank you, very much."

"Delighted to see you again, Ms. Fujibayashi," the Princess said, uninterested.

"A pleasure, Princess," I bowed and took my leave.

_'Now to deal with Zelos...' _

But I was not hasty on my way to see him.

Because the confrontation with the four girls, steadfast credulity rung in my ears that the answer to my questions, as well as Zelos' aberrations, were shrouded by the pall of that time before he tied himself with our team in finding a way for the worlds to live together.

That moment when I left for my escapade in the legendary Sylvarant.

When our lives became one again after that day on the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge.

Five years later.


	6. These Violent Delights

_**A/N: **Hello, ello again! I knew I would update today, and I have. As you can probably tell, this is when Sheena returns to Meltokio--More importantly, into Zelos' life--and I've created my own spin on it. Again, I didn't spend to much time mulling over details those who played TOS probably already knew; this is about Zelos and Sheena's relationship and what Sheena is feeling, so it's not as detailed as if I would have made a one-shot. Once again, thank you to everyone who reads what I write and who is involved with the Sheelos community. I love this community so much and want to write for it as long as I can. We need more Sheelos writers!  
_

_I also want to give a special shout out to Faux Promises, who--without knowing--gave me a boost of self-esteem when I felt like this chapter was gonna be crap and was gonna tank the whole thing and start over. n_n' _

_Thank so much, FP! You rock. Haha. _

_Without further ado--Chapter five! _

_Please read and review! _

_:) _

_

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__**Chapter Five: These Violent Delights...**_

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It was the date of my nineteenth birthday.

Instead of rising at my customary hour of daybreak, I got myself out of bed one hour earlier, when night still hung her black hair over the sun's glare, to speak to my comatose grandfather. While it was true that Grandpa could not react to my chattering, many had advised me to do so not only to help me come to terms with the reality, but for the hope that he would somehow hear my chronic rants and vacate from his seemingly perpetual sleep. So long had it been since Grandpa had literally replied to any type of verbal communication, it was becoming more taxing to recall the exact pitch in his voice. I had forgotten what his smile looked like on his convivial countenance that took intense glumness to compel it to recede. The only image of him in my mind since the accident almost ten years ago was the qualmish expression that he bore when Volt had begun his rampage; one of the causes of my drawn out case of insomnia. I couldn't see his face like that in my dreams; it was all too dramatic. Too cruel...

The pre-dawn sky was bespangled with dim, glittering dots, the illimitable black transfiguring to a purple so rich it appeared that someone or something had painted the heavens with the finest wine ever crafted. November wind howled and ripped across the gusty trees, thieving their ripened foliage of gold and red with its razor-sharp and covetous maw, leaving each oak and elm barren and distraught, creaking and moaning while the patches of undergrowth quivered from the sound of their lament. An owl hooted far off in the distance, the night predator more than likely searching for its early morning meal of rat or insect. All this came from the outside of Mizuho; the inside was very far removed from the atmosphere of the forest that encircled it. The majority of the population of the village was fast asleep in their beds, while a few men stood guard at each of the cardinal directions—north, south, east and west—and a couple more were stationed by the Chief's quarters, keeping our residents my defenseless grandfather under close surveillance in case of a surprise attack or any other kind of threat. It was so quiet, so lifeless and still, my ears couldn't help but throb and painfully ring from such quiescence. There was a delicate scent of smoke in the air that must have lingered when someone extinguished an oil lamp, and with another great squall ransacking the place, the clamorous flapping of clothes that had been hung to dry after a washing helped to ease the sting of silence as I meandered.

Because every person in Mizuho knew I was the granddaughter of the Chief and beloved by the Vice-Chief, I was not obliged to show identification to enter; had that been necessary, I surely would have taken a surly attitude. As I entered, the smell of oil-lamp smoke became strong in my nostrils, and I saw that the Vice-Chief was already up from bed, sitting at my grandfather's side, his eyes combing through a small document over and over again, almost as if he didn't understand what exactly he was reading, the shadows that came off of the diminutive lamp making him seem older than he really was.

"Good morning, little Sheena," he then chuckled to himself. "Or, I suppose I shouldn't call you that anymore."

'_...He remembered...' _

"It's alright, Vice-Chief," I smiled in a way that made me seem younger than I really was. "I don't mind if you call me young."

"Well, you are young." He eyed me with wisdom. "But little, you are not."

Heat surfaced on the back of my neck, and I turned my eyes away from him.

He was right. I was not little anymore. The Sheena Fujibayashi of five years ago and the up to date Sheena Fujibayashi could be compared to the night life within and the night life of the outer surface of Mizuho. The quiet and the energetic. Where once I had been introverted, burying myself deep in the confines of my own imagination, lips locked and face hidden, now I was outspoken, a bit of a live wire, and hardly ever concealed that which shouldn't be concealed. No longer did I have the body of a gangly adolescent, but the curved and supple form of a young woman; something my grandfather had not had the chance to witness, which sent tears of wistfulness down my cheeks.

The Vice-Chief saw my weeping.

"Is it your grandfather?" he asked somberly, folding the document and placing it in his shirt pocket.

I nodded forcibly, squeezing my eyelids together to halt the flow.

"Why don't you sit by me, then?" the Vice-Chief's voice softened, and he patted the empty spot of floor on his left.

I did as he suggested.

"Would you like me to tell you a story about your grandfather?"

I sniffed once, rubbed one eye with the back of my hand, and bobbed my chin up and down for a yes.

"When your grandfather was about...oh...I would say forty-two, his wife, your grandmother, died in childbirth."

I gasped; Grandpa had never told me how Grandma Yuri died.

"She died...in childbirth?"

"Yes," he sighed sorrowfully, keeping his hard stare at my grandfather's face. "It was a sad day for everyone who loved Igaguri and Yuri..."

"...Wait; hold on! If Grandma Yuri died in childbirth, then where's—"

"The baby?"

"Yeah."

"After Yuri was pronounced dead, they found the baby stillborn. He was to have a son, and had planned to name him...oh, now what was it? Don't tell me I've forgotten..."

I giggled a bit; the look on the Vice-Chief's face whenever he found himself befuddled was hilarious.

"...Well, I suppose it's not important to the story..."

"It's alright. I'd like to hear the rest, please, Vice-Chief."

"Of course. Right. ...Now, where were we?"

"The baby—"

"Don't tell me! ...Ah! Yes. The baby was stillborn, and your grandfather was heartbroken."

"Right," I mumbled, looking at grandfather with the Vice-Chief.

"For weeks, he said nothing. Not even to me. He worked by himself, wrote by himself, left messages for me to give orders to our ninja, and spent most of his time by the gravesite of your grandmother and his son."

"The baby has a grave, too?"

"He buried the boy and Yuri together. He found it easier that way..."

"Ah...that makes sense...how long was he like that for...the silent spell?"

"Oh...almost a year, I think..."

"A whole year?!"

"Sheena, he was so in love with your grandmother. She was his sun. His light. His air. Yuri had become...his life itself..."

_'...I've heard that before...where have I heard that before? I know I've heard that before. Someone's said that. I know it...' _

"And to lose it so suddenly..." he continued, his voice becoming far-off. "...It's a wearisome burden to bear..."

"I had no idea...why did Grandpa hide his suffering from me?"

The Vice-Chief said nothing, only changed the focus of his gaze from my unresponsive grandfather to the curious me.

"Because he no longer suffers. His suffering ended...oh...I would say about nineteen years ago...today."

My lips parted from shock.

"When he found me?" I breathed, the largest smile I owned budding on my lips.

He nodded, his own smile rising.

"Nineteen years ago, your grandfather and I were training the newest ninja on patrolling the Gaoracchia Forest. There was a bad storm raging, and the rain was hard and the lightening was close. Over the beat of the rain and the roar of the thunder, Igaguri heard the cry of a baby through the trees. I told him it wasn't a good idea, but he went anyway. I assumed it was some method of 'atoning' for the loss of his son and his wife, so I didn't stop him any further. The storm got fierce, but he trudged onward as the cries became clearer..."

The Vice-Chief then placed one gentle had upon my head, smoothing back my ebony hair.

"He found a little baby girl—a newborn—swathed in rags, nestled in a grove of white lilies. Igaguri told me that even though the weather was horrible, it seemed as though the sun was shining off of your tender face..."

"...Grandpa...grandpa told me that...He-he named me Yuri after Grandma..." I half sobbed.

"That's right," the Vice-Chief choked, too. "Igaguri sailed through dark clouds for the longest time..."

_'...Grandpa....' _

"...And then you, a little girl whom he'd caught fish bigger than, became his silver lining."

_'...Is it you I must ask for forgiveness from...' _

"Your grandfather protected you from Volt from his own free will, not because he felt like it was his job, but because you were, are, and will always be the person he loves most in this whole world."

_'...or is it myself...?' _

I bent my head down so the Vice-Chief wouldn't see the redness around my eyes.

"Thank...thank you, Vice-Chief...for r-reminding me...of Grandpa's l-love..."

"Of course, Sheena," he removed his hand from my hair. "But...I'm afraid that isn't the only reason why I'm here instead of in bed, haha..."

My back straightened at his words.

"What's wrong, Vice-Chief?"

He heaved another large sigh, but grinned somewhat deviously as he removed the earlier document from its location.

"I've received a letter...from the King of Tethe'alla."

I didn't know how much my eyes could widen until then.

"From...from the **King**? Wh-what does **he** want? It can't be anything—we haven't done anything...I won't—"

"Calm, Sheena, you wouldn't want to worry yourself ill on your **birthday**."

"But the King—"

"—has asked Mizuho for **assistance**."

My jaw went a tad slack.

"Assistance? As in, the 'help' kind of assistance?"

"That is what 'assistance' means."

"What does he want?" I asked rather crudely.

_'...More importantly, how am I involved...' _

Vice-Chief unfolded the document and held it beside the light of the oil lamp that we sat beside.

"...Apparently...he needs an assassin."

I grunted spitefully, folding my arms across my chest.

"I don't see why we should comply. The royal family hasn't done anything for the people of Mizuho, and now they expect us to run and help them? I'd say it's insulting!"

"...This seems to be of dire consequence." The Vice-Chief replied with a grave expression. "...He says this involves not only Mizuho, but the state of Tethe'alla itself."

"...All of Tethe'alla...? Are...are you sure—"

"That is what I've been told."

An imperceptible curtain of foreboding enveloped me as I thought about the possibilities. I wasn't exclusively sure about what could affect our entire prosperous world—for it was thriving amazingly—and it stirred every pore of inquisitiveness in my being.

"...So...what's your plan?" I asked, looking at the tiny, shimmering flame of the oil lamp.

"...Well, I was obviously going to send you," the Vice-Chief rolled his eyes and returned the parchment to his pocket. "Why else would I wake up before the sun and barge in on your visit to your grandfather?"

My head snapped in his direction.

"Me? ...**Me**? Vice-Chief, I may be a decent ninja, but I don't know if I'd be the perfect assassin...you should send Kuchinawa—"

He held up one hand to cease my argument.

"My mind's already made up. You are one of the best this village has to offer, Sheena. I want you to represent Mizuho as a respectable, yet prevailing example."

"...I...I don't know, Vice-Chief..."

Could he really blame me? I was far from ideal—clumsy, scatterbrained and doubtful. Kuchinawa and Orochi were so much more suited, for they were unflawed in every area where I had at least one, more than likely two.

"...A chance to redeem yourself..."

_'...No one in the village trusts me after what happened...' _

"...To bring honor to Mizuho..."

_'...I want to...but...would it really work? ...I don't know...' _

"...For the opportunity to visit Meltokio..."

I noticeably scoffed at the word of the imperial city that I spurned.

"...Where **the Chosen **lives..."

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks.

I saw a burst of red, then a flash of blue-grey.

I felt the softness of lips on mine.

Memory...after memory...after memory...

My best friend.

My angel.

**My Tiger Lily. **

...The boy who I fell in love with...

_"...Will you search for me, Sheena?"_

The one who had become my sun.

_"...Will we find each other again?"_

My light.

_"...I...I __**need**__**you**__**in my life**__. Please...come back...come back to me..."_

My air.

_"I'll...I'll return to see you again...no matter what..."_

My life **itself**.

_'...Zelos Wilder...' _

I balled my hands into fits, smiling with assurance at my Vice-Chief.

_'...I will...follow...your voice...' _

"...When do I leave?"

_'...all you have to do is shout...' _

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Zelos was, at first, my primary reason for accepting the employment as the assassin for the King of Tethe'alla. When I left for Meltokio two days after my nineteenth birthday (Corrine tagging along) to meet with the man they called Yuan to explain what exactly I was being sent to kill. I'd be lying if I said I expected something out of the ordinary. In one day, I had learned of another world adjacent to the one I'd been born in—the legendary Sylvarant, a moribund planet, for Tethe'alla was presently sucking all of the mana from this Sylvarant. The process of the Chosen (which meant Zelos was directly caught up in this, so I listened intently) was to overturn the course of the mana. Sylvarant's Chosen would soon be activating the ritual, and would begin the process of switching the current—causing Tethe'alla to decline. The job that was assigned to the assassin was to travel through the dimensional fissure—using a machine that this group that Yuan founded called "The Renegades" would provide—and kill the Chosen of Sylvarant before the regeneration could occur. This would not only prevent the danger of Tethe'alla starting its deteriorating, but would save the Chosen of **Tethe'alla** from having to carry out the ritual. I wasn't sure what he meant by that, and when I asked what the procedure was, Yuan merely told me it was none of my concern—my position was to slay the other Chosen, and that was it. Had I not been equipped with proper Mizuhoan protocol, I might have said something offensive, but I decided it wouldn't have been appropriate.

The next day, my new task was to meet with the King and his daughter, who was the same age as me, Hilda. I personally thought her name was hideous for such a comely girl, but where was I to judge? Sheena sounded like it belonged to some sort of wild woman—the Meltokians thought I was precisely that—with no means of social adjustment. Upon the first meeting I had with the King of Tethe'alla, he proved the initial adaptation I had conjured for him. He was compassionate and prudent, not malevolent and mulish in any way. He was a pleasure to be around. I had the princess pegged, though. Small-minded and spoiled. Definitely a "Daddy's Girl." I made it a moral imperative to keep us as far apart as possible. It was then revealed to me that I was to physically and mentally prove myself to the King and to The Renegades that I could undergo this duty. I didn't think that there was much sense behind that reasoning, but either way, I conformed to their request. Three of my days were wasted with training I didn't need, and half of one day waiting to enter the coliseum. It was me against fifty of the criminals that were locked away in the dungeons below, and it didn't take long for me to bring each one to the dirt; I didn't really have to use my seals. Simple hand to hand combat sufficed. Corrine cheered me on every moment. Outwardly, Yuan showed no hint of being impressed by my skill, but the King had it written all over his face, and the princess was the same, only she was jealous, not awed.

One day later, a messenger from the King arrived at the Inn I was staying at told me that Yuan would be in Sylvarant for a week or so—finding out correct dates dealing with Sylvarant's Chosen and when I would be sent away. They would need me for nothing more until Yuan's return, but wanted me to stay in the city for fear of "accidents or mishaps"; ludicrous, but I remembered the words of the Vice-Chief, and showed Mizuhoan respect. Plus, this was time I could use to visit my dear friend Zelos Wilder. I hadn't erased the memory of where his meretricious mansion was—I'd snuck in through the back windows so many times I'd surely lost count—and, carrying a dozy Corrine on my shoulder, made my way there without once casting my gaze down. My thoughts danced as I moved. Did he know I was in town—that I'd come back for him? Did he know that I was the contract killer that the King and the standoffish Yuan had hired? How could I surprise him with my visit? Perhaps I could knock on his door, then hide, and when he turned around, run and hug him like before. Maybe acting casual would be more of a bolt from the blue; I could just sit on the steps of his walkway, turn around when he opened the door and say "Long time, no see." I didn't really have to knock at all—I could just sit there and wait...but then he'd ask why I didn't knock...

That's when I turned the corner, and saw the bevy of females.

He was already out on the town. Figures. He was such a ham—with such a need for attention—I didn't expect any less. There were at least twelve girls there, all varying in height and hair color. I scrutinized each female with my Mizuhoan intuition, trying to find a pattern—I wanted to know what kind of girl Zelos' favored, to see if I had any of the same traits; maybe I could get lucky and score some well-deserved quality time with him. Twelve had been spot on; five brunettes, three navy-haired, two emerald-green and two busty blondes. No black hair in sight.

_'...Maybe he just likes girls with dark hair. There are more dark-haired girls than light haired...yes, that must be it...' _

Ultimately, the young women began to part—I guessed to let the poor man move or get some air—leaving a gap between the bodies, one figure sticking out from the multitude.

And that's when I saw him.

Still an angel...only this wasn't the child kind of angel from my youth.

This...this was a **man**.

My whole body gave an identifiable thump when my eyes found him. He'd grown a handful of inches—five feet ten was the stature I projected for him—and his once lanky form was now filled out with muscle. That blood-red mane had stretched from the middle of his back down to the small, and his eyes had remained those slate blue pools that made my insides thaw. Zelos had a slightly feminine character to him, but from the shape of his form and visage, he'd been able to use it as a method of winsomeness. The only thing I couldn't help but laugh at was the outfit. Peachy-pink hadn't crossed my mind as his color, but he certainly wore a long vest of the same shade. Under the oddly hued coat was a thin black shirt, complemented with long gloves that reached the half way mark of his upper arm, painted in the two polychromatic shades of his vest and shirt. The white pants and shoes looked nice, though. I took a seat on the steps of the celebration hall where Meltokio held their annual parties and royal balls to watch what chaos had begun to develop.

_**Wow, he sure does look the same. **_Corrine yawned.

"Ladies, ladies, ladies!!" He laughed—the one I prized. "I'm only one man, therefore, I have only one body! I cannot possibly have the strength to please all of you at once. I'm afraid you'll have to take turns."

"Me first!" about half of them shrieked.

"I saw you with the Chosen yesterday!"

"And you were with him the other day!"

"I should go first! I haven't seen him in weeks!"

"You lie! I saw you with him three days ago!"

"That's no lie! **You're** the one lying!"

"Please, my darlings!" He placed a strong hand over his heart, as if he felt pain. "I can't stand it to see you arguing—I can feel my glass heart breaking!"

_**Well, I guess he doesn't just **_look_** the same either. **_

I swallowed a laugh, covering my mouth with my hand so it would be muffled.

"Chosen One!" They all cried.

That began to bug me. He hated being called 'Chosen'; hadn't he told them that?

_**They act like his breath keeps them alive. **_

_"_Hush, Corrine," I said through my sniggers.

"You'll all just have to get along," he purred, plucking a flower from one of the bushes. "You are each precious flowers to me."

_'...Oh, you've __**got**__ to be kidding me...' _I giggled a little bit harder.

_**Puh-leez! I've heard better lines fr—**_

"Hush!"

"Then you pick the flower, Chosen One!" the blonde with pale green eyes chirped, and all the girls squealed in agreement.

"Ah, but so many to choose from..." he sighed, brining the one flower in his hands daintily to his nose. "Roses, asters, violets, daisies..."

"How about a Tiger Lily?!" I shouted with a slight chuckle, standing, feeling my heart race at the sound of the voice I had not willed to speak.

Corrine patted my ear with one paw to hearten me.

At the call of my voice, Zelos Wilder spun around, bearing a slightly lascivious smirk, but let it fall when his eyes caught me—Sheena Fujibayashi of Mizuho, holding herself high and mighty over the horde of women. Zelos was frozen in place, his jaw to the floor, the flower he'd once held discarded to the ground at the feet of the other females he no longer recognized. He held a bit of confusion in his eyes—I thought he might have been trying to figure out if I was real or if he was fantasizing, but I knew better. With a sinuous stride, I made my way towards him, stopping when we were only centimeters apart.

"...Sheena...?" I could barely hear him.

"...I told you I'd find you..." I blushed, fumbling with my fingers. "...Zelos..."

He said nothing; just pulled me into his arms for a tight embrace, which I promptly returned.

"Who is **she**? Where'd **she** come from? How did she get here? How does the Chosen know her?" I heard the rest of them murmur under their breaths.

"Martel, tell me I'm not dreaming..." Zelos whispered into my ear. "That was you...who said my name..."

"...Of course I said your name, silly," I told him as if he were foolish. "You aren't dreaming either."

_**Duh! I guess he got stupider. Pity... **_

_'...You're gonna be tied up in a pillow case if you don't cut it out...' _

When he pulled away from me, Zelos and I stared at each other for the longest time—I didn't know the precise amount, for time had seemed to stop.

"Look at you..." he half gasped, taking my face in his hands "You're gorgeous! How old are you now? Twenty two?"

"I-uh-turned nineteen...d-days go..." the redness in my face on the rise.

"Nineteen?!" He yelped. "There's no way! You look...wow, haha. That's all I can say. My little Sheena is **undoubtedly** a woman now. You've changed!"

"Look who's talking! What happened to those gangly arms? And what's with the **pink**?"

"Hey, I actually like this color, Sheena! It's better than **purple**."

"Purple is **so **better than pink!"

"Then what's with the ribbon, huh?"

I peered over his shoulder to see the mass of females shooting daggers at me.

"...I also can't help but notice that you've got at least twelve women back here giving me the evil eye."

Zelos paled. He must have failed to remember the cluster of girls he'd been flirting with mere minutes ago.

"...Shit." He swore loud enough for only me to hear.

"_**Way to go**_," I mouthed, grinning like a madman.

"_**Let me handle this, can I see you later?"**_ He mouthed in return.

"_**How about tonight; seven-ish? I've got a few free days from my assignment**_."

"_**Perfect! My schedule's free, too."**_

"_**Where do I meet you?**_"

"_**My house. Seb should remember you.**_"

"_**'Kay." **_

"_**I'll see you then!**_"

So, with one final hug, I scurried back to the Inn with Corrine yowling the whole way.

_**Sheena, one. Other girls, zero!**_

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

The rest of the hours of daylight were spent in the lavatory of my room showering and eradicating every blemish I could find on my skin and locks. Corrine didn't let up on the teasing that I was making such an upheaval over something so blasé, but I knew better. This was—the way I interpreted it—practically a **date** with the man I'd been in love with since my premature teens, and I was not about to make a fool of myself with a blotch or unkempt tresses. His punishment was to be left at the Inn by himself. Time was also fiddled away with ironing the sets of outfits that were clones of each other; grubby attire would debase me as well. I left a bit early for our get-together—not too early though, something like fifteen minutes—and Sebastian, my favorite of his servers, greeted me as if I'd visited only yesterday. His eyes were so kind, his smile mollifying and his courteousness first-rate. It'd been so long since I'd seen the place, but I could remember the grain of the furniture, the fragrance of the air, and the haunting portrait of Zelos' beautiful mother, Mylene. I hadn't the nerve to tell him, but I covertly believed that his mother's name—Mylene—was one of the most striking names I'd ever heard of. Perhaps one day I would name my daughter that; Mylene...

"You may sit down if you like, Lady Fujibayashi." Sebastian spoke evenly.

"No, that's fine,"

"Are you sure?

"I'll be—"

"Hey!" Zelos' voice rang from the top of the stairs, swathed in the same pink and black, and I watched him slide down the handrail and land with such chic I almost keeled over. "Sheena, you don't have any idea how happy I am to see you!"

"I think I do," I said impishly, running to gather him in my arms. "It's so great to see you, too."

He kissed the top of my head and looked at me in the eye.

"So, where to? Your choice. We can go anywhere. I personally wouldn't mind somewhere private—I'd like for us to talk...you know...like we used to. You've got to be starving."

I laughed and fabricated a punch to his gloved arm.

"Look at you, talking a mile a minute! I didn't think you were **that** excited to see me..."

He took my chin in his thumb and index finger, and my pulse went berserk.

"As I said, you have **no **idea, Sheena."

Panicking—dreading ungainliness—I reduced the level of seriousness by tapping his nose the way I'd once done before when he overreacted.

"And I said that I think I do! Let's just go for a walk—I'll tell you why I'm here."

Zelos' head tilted. "You've got a reason to be here besides to visit me?"

"Well, kind of. Yes. But you're part of it."

"I...I don't follow..."

"Let's just go; I'll explain everything, I promise."

He offered me his arm, grinning in that stupid way that paralyzed my bones.

"Lead the way, my now grown-up Sheena!"

And so we meandered through the night. Just Zelos. Just me.

I was taken aback at the serenity of the Meltokian avenues in the darkness. The street lights were turned down low for such an hour—it was like someone was trying to create a romantic setting for Zelos and me. It wasn't that I didn't delight in it, but with such a high level of intimacy, I feared that I would make a clumsy move. Suddenly, it seemed to finally reach me that I was with Zelos again, and this rash itch to fling myself at him and confess my love that had not died over five aching years distant from him, but for some odd reason, I couldn't force myself to make any other movements beside taking steps.

"There's something on your mind," Zelos whispered slyly. "I can see it on your face."

A lump formed in my throat.

"We-well...I...uh...it's just—it's been so long...I've...really missed you."

He took my hand and made it hot.

"I know how you feel. I thought I'd never see you again...but here you are, the rose of my past, come to me again. It's like a breath of fresh air."

"Speaking of roses, what's the deal with all of the women? Don't tell me..."

He rubbed the back of his head innocently.

"...Old habits die hard?"

I laughed for what seemed like the billionth time since I'd seen him again.

But this was a grave matter.

"You need to get over that, you know."

He didn't answer.

"You do. Not only will it cause you meaningless relationships but it'll—"

"Ahh, Sheena, it's nothing to worry about now that you're here! I've got you back—" Zelos kissed my hand that he held—"I'm all yours now."

_'...I'm all yours now...' _The words echoed.

_'...You don't know...how badly I wish that was true...' _

"I think that the topic for discussion should actually be why you're in my neck of the woods. Don't even try to get one past me—I know you and your opinion of this city too well."

"You sure do, haha..." I squeezed his hand, but desolately pulled my face away.

"...Is something wrong at Mizuho?"

"No. Everything's alright at home..."

"You're grandfather woke up, then..."

My heart convulsed. "Ah...n-no...not yet..."

"Aw, man, Sheena..." Zelos planted his face in my hair. "...I shouldn't have asked such a thoughtless thing...forgive me."

"It's not like you were kept up to date," I attempted to brush off my internal wounds.

"Yes, but still, I don't enjoy hurting you...there are times where I truly believe I can feel your pain because of how close we were—are."

"Ah...you don't need to...I-I'm the one who—"

"Don't tell me you still blame yourse—"

"I-I...I do. It was my fault!"

"Sheena, it was a mistake. You were—what—seven, right? A child; children are notorious for persistent gaffes."

"Persistent **what**?"

He sighed crossly. "Gaffe. It's another word for mistake."

"Well, sor**ry **Mr. Thesaurus," I grumbled.

"C'mon. We're not here to bicker. We're here to talk. Tell me why you're in Meltokio."

I was so ready to tell him about my voyage to the other world entwined with ours—about my taking the life of the person that would soon be prepared to annihilate the prosperity of Tethe'alla so Zelos could be free of piling the duties of the Chosen on his shoulders at such a young age, but a small voice in the back of my head like festering virus told me to keep it from him. What if it angered him that I was volunteering for such a perilous undertaking? Even as adolescents, he had this quiet reprimand in his repertoire of techniques to bring about my capitulation—especially when it came to my security. It didn't bother me, for it circuitously kept me sentient of his feelings. But what if he talked me out of this? I couldn't let him do that. Not only would I dishonor Mizuho, but I didn't want him to have to take the responsibility of the one thing he hated being most when I could simply exterminate the problem all together.

The best solution for now was to give that traditional Mizuhoan reply.

"The details are classified, but I'm here because I've been hired by someone who wants me to do a job."

"You've **got **to be kidding me!" He roughly rubbed his chin with one hand. "Classified? Come **on! **Is this what you were talking about before?"

"It's the truth! I can't—"

"Could you **at least** tell **me**!?"

"No! You're a noble, that would be danger—"

"I'm the **Chosen **remember? They might as well put me in a bubble."

_'...Great. This is just __**great**__. Five years apart and I __**still **__can't say no to him...' _

"I...I want to," I made one final endeavor before I cracked. "...But I really...I just can't..."

Zelos blew air out of his lips in defeat, slightly nibbling the thin bottom lip I had yearned to kiss since the day at the bridge.

"...I suppose it's no big deal since you're here now, right?"

"Right!" I beamed, moving closer to him. "And I won't be leaving soon."

"Is that so?" he smiled devilishly. "Well, then I'll be busy for a while, then."

"I guess so," I coyly pursed my mouth. "If that's fine with you."

"Do you really have to ask anymore?" I felt him affectionately nuzzle the side of my skull with his nose. "I can't think of anyone else I'd rather be with..."

I wasn't capable of reacting; my brain was spinning so fast I began to feel woozy. The scenery was so alien veneered by shadows, and I had no inkling whatsoever as to where we'd taken ourselves. Retracing my thoughts, I could only see Zelos there—smiling, laughing, griping and nuzzling. Upon each tap of our feet to the tile of the city, the air got colder, and we moved closer. I shivered, and he slipped his arm around my back to draw me even nearer which caused me to crack my knuckles from malaise; Zelos' continual display of physical affection were odd vicissitudes indeed, but I didn't deny myself of enjoying them. As youth, his idea of expressing corporeal fondness was to rumple my hair or slap my back. Now I got embraces and a bit of cuddling. How could that perturb me?

"Every day's been the same since I last saw you," Zelos laughed without humor.

"I-I...I'm sorry that it took so lon—"

"No, no. Don't be sorry. I'm not blaming you, Sheena...I understand how Mizuho is. Very surreptitious and enigmatic."

"I'm supposing that means secretive?"

He winked at me. I missed that wink.

"Bingo."

"...We are, b-but...if-if I-I-I could have, I w-would have—"

"So would I. Like I said, you're here now."

I nodded. "I-I a-am."

Then he looked at me, that sly glint in his eyes twinkling under the chilly night sky.

"You're shivering."

"N-No! I-I-I'm fine!"

_'...Hold me tight...I'll warm up! Just...don't leave yet...' _

"You're freezing. I'll prove it," he said while removing one glove from his arm, then collected my free hand in his naked one.

"Sheena, you feel like ice!"

But his hand was **so** warm; warmer than my blanket bathed in sunlight. I prayed he wouldn't let go.

He didn't.

"I-I...I'll be fine. We're...we're almost to where I'm staying anyway."

"Wait—where are you staying?"

"The Inn, I got free—"

His eyebrows furrowed. "Do you **have** to stay there? That place is pretty...supercilious if you ask me."

"Stuck up?"

"Of course."

"Thought so."

"So...is it a requirement to be held up there, or can you seek **other** lodgings?"

"Um...no one told me I **had** to live there—"

"Then you should crash with **me**! Hell, you know I have the room."

_'...YES! Of course! Anything's better than that stuffy place!' _

"...I don't know, Zelos..."

"Aw, c'mon. Who'll make a fuss? I'll handle it. You just get your stuff and I'll sweet-talk the—"

"I've already slept there for a few nights; I'd have to pay."

Zelos snorted.

"Please. I think I can cover it."

"What?! Don't pay for **my room**! That—"

"Sheena, I don't have anything else to waste money on. Let me spend on **you** rather than **someone else**."

_'...Deal!' _

"..Are you really fine with it?"

The handsome red-haired man that I loved narrowed his eyes.

"One thing that hasn't changed about you, Sheena; you still ask stupid questions."

"Shut up!" I laughed so hard I felt my ribs twinge.

Zelos Wilder didn't convince me to enlighten him of my homicidal project, but he did manage to wheedle me into taking shelter under the same roof with him. As the Inn—which protruded from the corner we were seconds away from turning—came into view, we both ended up running a brief race to get to the door first. Speed on my side, I was in no doubt that I would take the victory, but at the last minute, Zelos seemed to have an adrenaline rush and beat me by a nose. Guffawing, he gentlemanly opened the door and bequeathed me with another of his stomach jumbling winks.

My spirits had never been higher.

With his loving eyes on me, I felt like maybe—just maybe—we could be more than friends, just as I had desired from those days of yore.

The soft kiss from his lips to mine helped convince me of that.

Yet, as I ran up the stairs to collect my things, one ominous thought ate at the jubilation Zelos had nurtured.

Violent delights...also have violent ends.


	7. Second Mind

_**A/N:**_ _Hello, ello all! Haha. Well, I've finally updating my fic. It's about time! I took a break from writing because of school and now I have an SAT coming up...oh joy. _

_But, for this chapter, since it was so boring, I decided to give everyone a little treat. The second half of this chapter will be told in (my super-extraordinary-bee's knees-epitome-of awesomeness) Zelos Wilder's POV! Woo!!! I thought that maybe if I gave some insight into what exactly is going on with him in this story, it'd be more interesting. I'm not great at Zelos' character, so I want some honesty if I did do well. Thanks so much to everyone who reads, reviews, encourages, or belongs to the Sheelos community. You guys are so cool, you break the scale. XD_

_Also, I caved to popular demand and made the paragraphs smaller. I looked at the preview and saw what that Wall-o-Text Faux Promises was talking about and completely agreed. Sorry for that guys...  
_

_Please tell me what you think! I hope you enjoy!  
_

* * *

_**Chapter Six: Second Mind**_

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* * *

  
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My deftness as a ninja managed to be further vilified as my face came into contact with something that felt firm, yet spongy to the touch. When my backside hit the memorable tile of the street, a blood-curdling cacophony of shrieking filled my sensitive ears. I was unfathomably grateful for finding myself on the ground, for if I had achieved a solid stance, there would have been no doubt in my mind that I would have ended up with my right hand slamming into the face of the girl who now towered over me in a tawdry sea-foam green dress, shooting me a stare so venomous I might have needed medicine had I met her eyes.

"You _**rude**_ _**little**_ _**animal**_!" she squalled a flabbergasted brickbat. "Manners must not **exist** for such uncivilized human beings—if you're human _**at al1**_!"

_'...Oh, god...' _I inwardly moaned, recognizing her tone. _"..Not them again...' _

"That's the Sheena from before!" The one beside her spat; it was the brunette, so that was Heather.

"Ugh! I should have known," scoffed the one I had collided with; Rachel, the most wicked of the witches.

"Sorry..." I stammered, hoping they'd let me free because they were so repulsed by my very breathing. "I-I...I didn't-didn't see—"

"How apparent," quipped one of them behind her; it sounded like Bridgett from the tenor.

"I thought **you **were on your way to see the** Chosen**, Miss Sheena," Rachel did not falter her mocking. "Did he turn you aw—"

"I **am**," I leapt from the floor as quickly as my legs would allow, balling my hands into fists to stir my adrenaline so as to make my point clear. "Now, if you would kindly step aside."

"Go ahead," Heather snorted, hiding her face behind a large, pink feathered fan. "But don't come crying to us when he turns you away. The Chosen would dare take in a **Mizuhoan** **barbarian**..."

"We'll see about that," I murmured low enough so they wouldn't hear.

It was impossible to configure words ample enough to express how I despised the garish girls that clung to my good friend heels as though they were dogs and he the prime rib. When the troubles between them and me began to surface, I'd done a decent job of not taking all of it into account. I partly blamed Zelos for that, but because I had most of the story, I didn't rebuke him about it over and over. As time progressed, they became much more of a robust thorn in my side. Giggling surplus to requirements, provocative toadying, fraudulent glares and foul to everyone and everything they deemed contemptible. I was not about to stand aside and let them reign on their high horses—let them decry whatever they pleased. Someone needed to bring them back down to earth; who could but me?

And then something rattled my bones. What if Zelos really **didn't **want any female company? What would I do if the butler answered and told me, in turn, that Zelos was refusing all female company? After all of the huff and puff I'd made in front of those nitwits, to be also denied the right to see him would not only stain my pride, but opened my breakable soul up to be spitefully belittled. There was no way Zelos would turn me away. I knew it, and so did he. I wasn't the other girls. I wasn't after him because I wanted to look at him or to flirt. I was after him because I wanted to talk; because his presence in my home had been so sparse for the last year, it was impractical not to miss him. And he must have missed me—giving me a pricey gift and arranging the reunion of our quirky band of friends in my honor.

There was something he was keeping from me.

And I'd be damned if I'd let his refusal of the fairer sex get in my way of finding out what that something was.

I purposely made my steps noisy and solid, hoping giving a person within a bit of a heads up that someone was coming to the door; it didn't earn me any points with the whore-brigade.

"She walks like a man," Bridgett said through her teeth.

"An **old** man," Rachel concurred.

_'...We'll see who gets the __**last**__ laugh...' _

My body was positioned as closely to the threshold as possible without giving the impression of peering inward. Creating my hand into my tightest fist—the one I saved for punches—I beat the wooden plank that separated Zelos and I three times. He would surely hear that. And, of course, my actions were required to have commentary from my jealous onlookers.

"...How aggressive," Joan murmured with a snort.

"She's so **boyish**!" Bridgett rolled her eyes.

"How could the chosen **stand** to be around such a woman?" Heather fanned herself swiftly.

My tongue felt swollen in my mouth. This was taking too long. I knew Sebastian, and if he was there in the mansion, it was his function to immediately see to any visitors. In order to keep myself calm, I reasoned out the whole situation. He could be upstairs. He could be cooking and the knock got lost in the burble of boiling water and clinking of kitchenware. He could be bustling to the door right now, seeing to a few other minor chores on his general list of each day. Zelos could be taking his unbroken interest...that sounded like the most reasonable scenario. That red-headed Ex-Chosen was closer to Sebastian than he had been his own father—which I thought was rather heartrending—and he told him pretty much everything. Perhaps they were in the middle of a consequential tête-à-tête, and my boisterous pounding had broken everything apart. They were just finishing the conversation, and then Sebastian would see to the matter. Yes. That was it.

So I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And I **waited**.

But there was nothing.

"Ha-ha-ha!" screeched Rachel. "I **told** you, you wretched thing! That's what it's been like for **days**!"

"Not even the **servant** came to the door!" Joan hung onto Heather's arm as though it was the funniest thing she'd ever seen.

"Certainly," Bridgett responded as though she knew a fact. "She's a filthy **commoner** from **Mizuho**. Why on earth—"

That's when my proverbial began to whistle from steam.

"_**HOW DARE YOU?!"**_ the birds flew from their perches on the tall buildings at my howl. "You say _**I'M **_the animal?! How can you threat someone so-so-so...so _**horribly**_?"

"Watch your tongue, you viper—" Heather began to chide, but I stopped her.

"**My** tongue?!" I gasped, smirking. "And what exactly is your plan if I don't?"

"**You** don't scare us," Bridgett spat, moving closer to Zelos staircase as though she were looking for a fight. "We have more power in **one finger** than you do in your entire **man-like** body."

_'...If Corrine were hear, he'd say just how corny that is...' _

My eyebrows furrowed in a mixed sensation of anger and languor as I thought of Corrine. I'd never stood up to anyone without him near, let alone these four. During Corrine's time with me, his method of encouragement was to cheer invisibly into my ear, and I did my best to take it all in; his fervor. Corrine had a passion that I craved, which made him necessary when my low sense of worth unmasked itself. Somehow—someway—I felt as though because the spirit of what he was now—Verius—was dwelling within my breast where my heart lay, and that had pumped his strength through my veins. Corrine was the fire that fueled me now. He and Zelos Wilder; my dearest. I would not back down; they wouldn't want me to.

"Out of everything in this world," my tone was soft, yet barbed; I spoke slowly. "you should be scared of me the _**most**_."

"And why is that?" Rachel dashed to her side. "What's your plan, tarnishing us with your Mizuhoan muck?"

"...I...will—"

There was a faint creaking at my back, and I watched each one of the girl's faces slip into incredulity.

"Miss Sheena?" Sebastian's voice rang out clear.

I whipped around to face him, not as affected as the rest of the twits.

"Yes?"

"Master Zelos is sorry for the delay," he smiled a private smile—one we shared. "He had a few personal matters to attend to. He asks that I seat you straight away. Or should I tell him you are speaking—"

"No! I'll come in..."

"Delightful," Sebastian stretched his arm out, signaling that my entrance to the Wilder home was allowable.

I left the whore-brigade frantic.

{{{{{**Z.W**_**.**_}}}}}

Three nights I had suffered through agonizing hours of tossing and turning. Three nights had been rudely interrupted by spasmodic hot flashes and aching bones. Three nights haunted by perverse dreams and toxic memories. The only course of action to sooth my poisoned soul was to keep my gaze glued to the healing silver beams of the moon, letting my thoughts drift to happier times. I heard the melody of piano keys echoing against the walls of my home, replacing the dullness with color. I thought of blooming flowers along the border of a lake. I saw a patch of sunlight breaking through a veil of grey clouds after a lazy summer rain. I imagined wispy leaves twirling; dancing with a partner in the autumn breeze...

That amber...

That amber that reminded me so much of her eyes...

'_...Don't think. Haven't you learned that by now?' _I mentally chided myself at the whimsical thought.

Sitting upright in bed, I did my best to follow the cynical, yet correct advice of my psyche. Thinking about her wouldn't help me now; what would it do? I'd already destroyed any expectations of bliss I could have had with her, proving just how imprudent I really was. What had my goal been all those years ago when I made that reckless choice? I knew why I made it; it was the practical thing. Hadn't that been what I was taught to do; follow my brain, not my soul? Yes. That was it. And that was why I did what I did.

Did that still mean my soul did not call out for her?

No. Not in the slightest.

My soul yearned for her.

I'd yearned for her since that day when she came back to me. Admitted, she did not come directly to me; she brought iridescence back into the opaque blackness of my world. A glimmering light; a light that gave me hope and refused to sputter when all the other lights went out. She brought me air when every breath became a knife. She was the reason why I did not give up the belief that there had to be some sort of divine being, for only something with powers beyond that of mortals could create such an enthralling woman—one that, with her plenteous beauty, made each female that crossed her path obscure—a grey dot to her exploding hues.

How could I blame her for exposing their nothingness?

If anything, it helped me to grasp what mattered to me in my life.

She mattered...

And that was it.

'_...You're thinking about her, you fool. Stop while you're ahead...' _

But I couldn't stop.

She was my proverbial narcotic, and I would kill to wake up and see her face before anything else.

I showered and dressed numbly; mostly imagining what her morning customs must be like now that our lives had gone back to normal. Did she shower in the morning too?

'_...That didn't sound stalker-ish _**at all**_...' _

There was no way to fix it how I felt.

She was everywhere I went, yet she was nowhere to be seen.

My invisible fascination and the reason was love.

I **loved** her. I loved her so much I'd scream it from the top of the mountains to see if she could hear it. I loved her so much I would have given up everything I owned to be with her for one moment. I loved her so much I would have run to the end of the earth without stopping to touch her hand. I loved her so much I would have broken any law or any bone to see her smile. I loved her so much I would have stopped my heart for the taste of her lips on my tongue. She was one of the few things I would die for.

I loved her so much, I got all of our friends together to celebrate her triumph and spent as much money as I could on a gift I knew would delight her just so I could look at her and make her happy.

I loved her so much, I refused—for the second time—not to see any other women because I would have rather frittered my time away merely visualizing her rosy face.

But why? Why did I have to make choices like that?

Worst of all...why did she agree to them?

They were questions I would probably never have answered.

As I fastened the last button of my over coat, there was a loud, yet brisk knock on my door. I knew that knock, so I didn't bother asking questions.

"Come in, Seb," I said as cheerfully as possible, though my mind was caught up in an invigorating dream of the way she would brush her stray hair from behind her ears.

"Master Zelos," Sebastian politely greeted me. "How does this morning find you?"

"Decently," I nodded slowly, grinning. "I plan to lock myself in the study and read all morning, so—"

"Master Zelos," Sebastian kept calm. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you've slept in quite a significant amount today."

My eyebrow lowered. "...What are you talking about?"

"...I'm afraid I've let you doze past noon, sir."

I felt my jaw go slack.

Noon! **Past noon**! That couldn't be. That wasn't right. The sun was at my window when I opened my eyes. I couldn't remember which direction the sun rose; east or west?

"No way," I laughed sardonically. "You're joking right?"

"I'm afraid not, Master Zelos. Also, there is one other item of business I need to inform you of."

Rubbing my cheeks in frustration, I sighed: "What **now**?"

"Miss—"

"No." I didn't even let him finish. 'Miss' was all I needed to hear.

"Master Zelos, if you would—"

"I told you, **no**!" I roared, gamming my fingers through my hair, turning my back to him

"I understand, sir, however—"

"There is no '**however**'! No women, under any circumstances, are allowed here except--"

"The exception is at the door, Master Zelos."

I whipped back around to see Sebastian's emotionless façade.

"What?" I half choked.

"Miss Sheena Fujibayashi of Mizuho is, no doubt, at the door wanting to speak to you. I'm keeping her, shall I turn her away or shall I—"

"No! No, of course not! Let her in."

Sebastian curtly bowed, allowing a taboo smile to show.

"Yes, Master Zelos,"

And then he was gone.

And I was in ecstasy.

Inhaling deeply, I cooled my flying heart so as not to look excited. That was something I just couldn't let her see. I loved her like a man needs water, but having her know and shunning my affection was probably my worst fear. Suffering through more calamities between us wouldn't do at all, so I follow her orders. I put on my Zelos Wilder pretense and let her have her way. All because I loved her.

When she made her entrance, she hadn't changed from those days ago at her party—she hadn't changed from that day when she returned to Meltokio and we were joined at the hip just like in our adolescence. Sheena wore lilac purple with that enticing hot pink ribbon. Her hair was done up, her gloves were on, and she donned that alluring angry pout that caused her lips to turn into a bow. Absolutely delicious.

"My payment for my generosity?" I wiggled my eyebrows.

_'...I've been counting each second after we separated...I've missed you so...' _

Her face scrunched. Precious.

"You wish, you stupid chosen. I'm here to interrogate you."

"Interrogation, you say? Sounds quite sexy. I like forceful women, you know."

_'...Just ask, and I'll do whatever I can...because I'd do anything for you...' _

"Cut the crap!" Sheena folded her arms. "Just give me an answer and that'll suffice."

"Are you sure?" I inquired slyly "You know I live to please you, Sheena, my favorite hunny."

_'...It's yours. You name it, love...' _

But she got right to what I didn't want to talk about.

"Why are you refusing to have any female company? More importantly, why did you let me in?"

That was just perfect. I knew why I barred my doors from those squealing harpies; they annoyed me, they followed me, and they weren't Sheena Fujibayashi. I let Sheena in because I loved her, I moaned with depression each day I wasn't with her, and because she was Sheena! How else could I put it? One thing for sure; there was no way she could find this out. We'd have to play our humdrum game of good and evil.

"I'm only one man, sweetie! Don't you think, after seeing to all the needs of those women, I'd deserve a break here and there? There's only so much I can take!"

_'...Your bathed-in-moonlight glow outshines their dimness. You are the light...guiding my night...' _

"Bull," Sheena growled, glowering at me. "I heard your cheerleaders crying about it; apparently this isn't the first time this has happened."

She was getting to close. No, I had to maintain clandestinity.

Initiate subject change.

"Do I hear a smidge of jealousy, hunny?"

_'...You're right. I did it because of you. All for you...' _

Her face flashed pink, and it was delectable.

"I-I'm not jealous of anything! Why would I be jealous of a bunch of nimrods anyway!?"

I winked; just enough.

"That's a question you might just have to ask yourself, baby."

_'...You don't have to be. They're jealous of you...you, Goddess of the Moon...' _

"Ugh! Can we just go two seconds with a bit of seriousness here?"

I raised my hands in defeat.

"Deal, then."

_'...For you, anything...' _

"Good. So tell me the truth. What's up?"

"I...I'm just a bit tired. I need a bit of 'me' time. You know how that is right?"

_'...I dream of you night and day. I'm a mess, and I need you...' _

"Then why did you agree to see me?"

I snorted.

"Honestly, Sheena. You and I are pretty close. Close friends are important right?"

_'...When I heard your name, my heart skipped. I just wanted to breath your sweet cinnamon scent in...' _

Sheena's glower deepened.

"Are you sure that's all?"

"Positive."

_'...No. I could go on about all the things I love about you for hours...' _

"...Fine. You win. You actually look tired, so I guess I can give you the benefit of the doubt."

My hand flew to my heart.

"My demonic banshee cares?! This truly is a fortunate day!"

_'...Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, dear...' _

"So...why, then...did you through that party for me?"

This one, however, I was ready for. I knew Sheena would ask me that sometime as soon as her grandfather exposed my plot.

"Why do you think, sweet thing? I missed seeing that pretty face of yours!"

_'...I never stopped loving you. I wanted to make you happy...I just wanted to see you...' _

Her eyes softened then. I was afraid she was going to cry; I couldn't handle that.

"...Are you lying?"

Blinking twice, I stuck my bottom lip out to look pitiful.

"Still don't trust me? Such a shame. Guess I deserve it."

_'...I hate lying to you. It breaks my heart beyond repair...' _

"N-no...it's just...well...I never expected you to say something like that..."

"...Now I'm really hurt! You know I care about my number one hunny!"

_'...I don't blame you. I need to tell you more often about how much I care...' _

She sighed with impatience, grinding her two rows of teeth together.

"Just-just—ugh. You stupid, stupid Chosen..."

I placed one finger to my lip.

"'m I being unreasonable again, hun? I could be persuaded with a kiss, you know?"

_'...Forgive me. Forgive me for everything. I know I don't deserve it; deserve you; deserve the chance to kiss you one more time...' _

"Wha-what?!"

"Just one kiss! If not to shut me up, for that bell of yours."

_'...Pure maidens don't kiss tainted lips...' _

"It was a gift! You don't give payment to a person for a gift!"

"Semantics, my banshee. I'm waiting. My lips can't kiss themselves you know!"

_'__...You given me the gift of your presence. That's all I could ask for...' _

It was obvious by now I'd pushed her to the breaking point, for she was so out of sorts that grunts and shaking fists was all the replies to my messages.

"Thanks for answering my questions. That's all I needed to hear."

And, suddenly, she wasn't there.

No. She couldn't leave yet! Why had I done that **again**? Why hadn't I just told her what I was thinking instead of mouthing off like a jackass?

"Sheena, wait!"

But when I got to the staircase, I heard the door slam.

And, like the wind, she had gone once more.

And I was left all alone, longing for that which I could never have again.

She'd left me with only recollections.

Recollections of those moments when we were, for a time that seemed so brief now, lovers.


	8. My Favorite Things

Hello, ello! Guess whos back? Back again? Lol. Not gonna Eminem you guys. Haha. Sorry I've taken so long. Just a bunch of laptop craziness and flashdrive disappearingness...so...eh...not really good excuses but...FP defend me!!!! *hides behind Faux Promises cowering in fear*

Just kidding. Teehee. But not about the sorry stuff! I am sorry I took forever and do plan on updating more frequently. I'm borrowing my grandfather's laptop that's slow but efficient.

This chapter here is a Flashback Chap. That deals with why Sheena and Zelos are --in the game-- on bad terms with each other. This is just the foundation of what I have planned. The first half is in Zelos' POV and the rest is in Sheena's. I've had many comments about my writing from Zelos POV, and while I enjoy it, I've decided to keep the rest of this story strictly Sheena POV. The sequel to this story--yes, OMG a sequel! I have the title and everything!--that I already have been crafting in my head will be written entirely from Zelos POV so I can do both. It'll be fun. XD

I hope this chapter's title makes sense to everyone. Lol.

And now...entering stage left...

Chapter SEVEN BABY! :D

* * *

_Chapter Seven: My Favorite Things_

* * *

**...**_**A bongo drum...**_

"You are an absolute DISCRACE to your good name!"

_**...A spoonful of raspberry jam...**_

"My name has NOTHING to do with her!"

**...**_**A singing nightingale...**_

"You have a duty to this city—to this country—to this entire WORLD!"

_**...A waxing half moon...**_

"That's funny! That's HILARIOUS! You know as well as I do that is such a JOKE!"

_**...A lit candle...**_

"I don't care WHAT you THINK! Get rid of her!"

_**...A spinning pinwheel... **_

"Who are you to order me around!?"

_**...A full grown daisy...**_

"Get rid of her...or_ I_ will."

The best things in the world couldn't keep my heart from breaking. Everything around be began to blur as though I had been spun around in circles. I could feel all of the contents of my stomach churn when my hand found its way to my belly. Life couldn't be this unfair. It was a dream. Yes, that was the answer! This was a distorted reality fathered by the insecurities that were normally locked away by my subconscious.

The idea of having to give up the one I love most was too painful to be real.

But it was.

It was all real.

And I really had to let her go.

Then something in the back of my head snapped.

I was going to have to give her up yet again...only this time...

It was for good.

..._No..._

The next few moments were indistinct in my memories. It was though I had removed myself—my essence, so to speak—from the body that it inhabited. In great detail, with eyes that would not pull away no matter how hard I tried, I saw myself wreak havoc on my upstairs den. The linens were torn, the pillows ripped, chunks of cottony filling flying like the streams of colors that rip through the air after the explosion of a firework. Lamps were thrown, expensive figurines of mockingbirds and butterflies that Sebastian had purchased –for decoration— were shattered on the wall, streaking stains of my own blood that had been cut by the fine glass.

One statuette—an adequately sized angel with majestic purple wings—was clenched in my grip longer than it should have been.

An angel. My mouth quirked up to form a snide grin. Since birth, I had been herald as a living member of the Goddess' afterlife court. A divine spirit, they called me. A savior. A savior that everyone should adore.

But only because he was a savior, and nothing more.

And the only one that loves him because of who he is...can't be with him any longer.

Which makes his hate of "savior" grow even stronger.

That was when the glass angel met the wall, splintering on contact, scattering shards of the once beautiful winged creature to the floor with the rest of my broken things. But I could still make out the face. So I slammed again. And again. And again. And again. I kept flailing my fist until I knew that it was destroyed beyond repair. Hot blood soaked my snore knuckles and fingers from the sharpness of the glass. But I didn't care. I wanted this pain; this blood; this broken glass. It meant that I could still feel something.

When I went through life without her...I couldn't feel anything.

With a heavy, ragged sigh, I put my back to the scuffed and stained wall and analyzed my hysteria. All of the shards from my sculptures were littered in unorganized piles—the sun's rays catching them through the window, rainbows dotting the walls from their reflections, making the blood and glass seem much more macabre. Tiny bits had dug themselves into my palms, but they were hardly visible through the flowing redness. Small tears dripped from my face to my brutally beaten hand, a small sting fizzling on the open wounds when they made contact.

And it still wasn't enough. I wanted to hurt. Physical pain, compared to the pain of losing her, felt somewhat satisfying. Pain wasn't emptiness.

And I had been empty for so long. Too long without ever being filled.

A hollow shell called "The Chosen."

If I had to compare it to anything, it would be like living in an opaque, indomitable bubble. I had briefly touched on the subject with few people, but no one really seemed to understand. How could they?

No one knew about the bubble that would let no one in or me out. Thebubble that kept me blind to the truth and numb to raw love. The bubble that ruined my life just as it was beginning. The bubble that cursed me to an existence without a father and with a mother who loathed the sight of me; who still cursed me even on her death bed. The bubble that separates the only family I have from me out of resentment that neither of us asked for. The bubble that barred me from the only woman who I truly worshiped.

The bubble that made it easier to be alone.

And how can you harbor hatred when you're alone?

You can't.

And even though I'd rather die than live on without her...

I would have to end up alone if I ever wanted sanity.

Because even though these chains that bound me to Sheena could not be released...

The chains that bound me to "The Chosen" where even stronger.

I wasn't really sure how much time I had spent up in my room that day, but it was enough for Sebastian to come in and check on me. His face had drained to a sallow white when his dark eyes met me. He didn't scream or cry, only shook his head and muttered:

"What am I going to do with you?"

I made no attempt to cover up what I had done or make an excuse.

I just stared at him, and the pity in his eyes stabbed my heart.

Which made me think of her.

And then I sobbed.

{{{{{{{{{

There was a waning moon outside that night.

Milky white beams spread their opalescent sheen through the high windows of the Wilder mansion, and my tiger lily was nowhere to be found. That didn't help my worry at all; it had been gradually building like a river after too much rain, and now it was nigh ready to brim over. The cloudiness of his blue eyes and the yellow tint to his every day creamy complexion. The silence of his voice and the drooping of his limbs—like he hadn't slept for days.

I didn't decide to confront him until I saw Sebastian cleaning blood and broken glass in the upstairs den when I came home from prepping with Yuan. By the way he fidgeted as I scanned the crime scene, it was obvious that I wasn't supposed to see the mess. Two situations came to mind.

One: Sebastian let his clumsiness come out and cut himself, which was what I wanted to be right.

Or two: This was Zelos' mess, which I hoped was wrong.

There was no blood anywhere on the butler's body.

My bottom lip trembled. "Wh...what happened to him?"

Cupping his palm to form a makeshift broom, he swept the shards into a small dust pan, making sure that none had clung to his skin in the process.

He did not look up at me when he said: "He had a bit of a temper tantrum."

"A bit?! Sebastian! There's-uh-there's broken glass and blood on the floor-on the walls-everywhere!! How can you say this is _**a bit**_ of a temper tantrum? It looks more like he went _**temporarily insane**_!!!!"

Sebastian huffed through his nose. "You know how much of a drama queen he is. He gets it from his mother, Miss Sheena. I stumbled upon Lady Wilder buried in a disarray like this not too long before she passed away."

The portrait of the blonde beauty Mylene, Zelos' young and fragile mother, came to my mind. I had always secretly wished I could have been as stunning as she—plump red lips, light green eyes with flecks of brown on the upper iris, and that curly, golden hair that tumbled past her shoulders. Never once had I imagined her in a room with blood and broken glass. Mylene seemed too gentle for that to me.

Nostalgic film coated Sebastian's lugubrious, distant gaze; I knew that he told the truth. Mylene was not only young and fragile; she was disturbed.

"...Can I-um...if you-ah...jeez...Why-why did she..."

Sebastian set the dust pan behind him and motioned for me to sit down. I did so.

"It was early in the morning. The sun wasn't quite over the trees yet. Lord Wilder had already left for the day and—"

"He left before the sun rose?" I fingered an infinitesimal sliver of glass that had camouflaged itself to match the eggshell white carpet.

The torpidity of his facial features did not cave to my question; Sebastian's eyes were my window to his naked emotions. Concave shadows darkened the sand color of them, making them muddy, fierce and vindictive.

"Zelos' father wasn't one to be kept indoors. He was to wild a person—excuse the pun. That and...at the time I believe that's when he started seeing Lucretia."

"Lucretia? Who's that?"

"...Seles' mother."

"...Oh..." My lips felt dry as my mouth rounded to make the sound of the word "oh."

"...I was making my rounds—laundry, dishes, you know—and I went to knock on her door...but she didn't answer. The Lord and Lady didn't share a room, so naturally I was hesitant to just walk in. But she had been quite sullen in the last week, and I was concerned...so I just...I just walked in and I..."

An abrupt fissure rattled the inertness of his countenance for a brief second—a twitching cheek and a creased forehead—but it was gone by my next blink.

I got the feeling that Sebastian was more than concerned about Zelos' mother.

"She was lying in the bathtub...and the water was all red. I-I couldn't see anything below her neck...it was so red. I pulled her out and saw...the-the slash marks on her stomach...on her chest... They weren't deep, but it...it was enough to make her bleed...very well. For a moment I thought she was...she was just...bathing in...in her own blood..."

Without realizing it, my hand flew up to cover my heart, fingernails curtly digging into the skin around it. The face in the painting...the woman in this bathtub...they weren't the same person. Mylene Wilder—the one who posed for portraits, dined with nobles and loved her husband The Chosen—had been nothing more than façade. The real Mylene was the one who cut herself. Who hated herself. Who wanted nothing out of life but to leave it.

Never before had it pained me so to not have gotten the chance to meet her.

Sebastian straightened his tie to regain composure.

"I cleaned her up, threw on a robe on her and sent her to bed...but I'll never forget the look she had. Zelos and Mylene share the same eyes—the blue with the hint of grey...but it's the way they stare. That vacant... just soullessness. Like there's nothing in them at all but color to hide the barrenness."

A knot tightened in my vocal chords; my voice breaking.

"Zelos...he does have the same eyes."

"And that's what kills me. That's why I always take his side. That's why I protect him. I see his mother in him. On the outside, he may seem like his father, but he's not. He's all Mylene. The eyes, the face, the smile, the leanness. Nothing like his father. Just the hair. That's it."

In my mind's eye, I placed the young Zelos I had first met next to the portrait of his mother in his living room. I tried to make them both grin, but I just couldn't. Why should I? They both hated what they had done in their lives, even though they had not chosen that path for themselves. I knew better than most that all Zelos had ever wanted was to be normal—an average human like me or his butler. He'd give up everything—his affluence, his nobility, maybe even his left ear—to rid himself of his title. And Mylene, while she lived, would have done just the same to keep from marrying his father.

And for some odd reason, that made me love him even more.

Sebastian wrapped his hand around the handle of the dust pan filled with glass.

"I'd better go throw this out..."

"I...I just have one more question. Is that ok?"

"Of course, Miss Sheena."

"Why...why did Mylene do that? Cut her stomach...?"

Gradually, Sebastian lowered his head to eye the glass in the dust pan, reached in and picked out one light green piece and held it towards the sunlight, casting lustrous green squares on the wall behind me.

"I can tell you why...but you may not like what you hear."

_**...A Sun kissed morning...**_

My fingers twitched in my fist from being squeezed too tightly.

_**...A rushing river's song...**_

"I don't care. I need to...I just need to know."

_**...A doll made from beans and string...**_

He paused, twisting the green chunk in his hand to make the green squares move against the wall—like he was putting on a puppet show. After a minute, he icily choked:

**...**_**A rhubarb pie cooling on a windowsill...**_

"...She found out she was pregnant...and wanted to kill the baby."

The best things in the world couldn't keep me from breaking.

I just stared at him, and the pity in his eyes stabbed my heart.

Which made me think of him.

And then I sobbed.


	9. I Did Not Want This

Hello, ello! Another wonderful chapter coming your way, my good people. Haha. This chapter is in full Sheena POV. I really enjoyed writing this. XD Even though this Chapter is kinda sad and a little bit shocking... Probably not shocking at all; I bet everyone saw this coming. Some people have talked about whether or not the story will end badly at all. I don't wanna give anything away, but I will say this: things usually get worse before they get better. ;)

I have decided on a plot and a name and some motifs for the sequel to this. Unlike _I Should Have Never Thought_, this story will be humorous and in Zelos' POV. Think I might have already said that, but...eh...just to anyone who didn't read the last chaper or who forgot. Teehee.

Just wanna give a shout out to my good buddy, Faux Promises! You rock girl. Thanks for all the inspiration. :D

I'd like to introduce you to Chapter Eight!

* * *

_Chapter Eight: I Did Not Want This_

* * *

I ran.

I ran so fast that the world around me became one big blur of color and sound. The tips of my tones touched the firm, unforgiving ground so lightly; it was almost as if I had begun to fly. Yet that threadbare connection to the earth still remained—it was closer to hovering then actual flying; gliding on air past ever stair and thoroughfare in this hateful city. The soft tapping that echoed with the clamors of Meltokio died away as I continued, and soon I could feel through my shoes that I no longer sprinted on tile; this was dirt.

I slowed—all the smears fizzling into solid shapes. Trees, birds, contours of the wide open spaces and approaching rain clouds flushed my vision—it was too overwhelming, and a sharp pain throbbed in my forehead. Thunderclaps rattled my teeth; portly clouds swallowed me with their damp jowls.

Hanging my head, I let the cold drops land on my clothes, skin and hair. The sun still shone dimly in the distance, glinting off the spires of Meltokio. There was just enough to make it reach toward me. Rain and light swirled me in their dance, and the beads sparkled from the fading radiance—nature's jewelry.

Both sun and water cleansed me. Cleansed me of sadness and trepidation. But it couldn't wash out the stalwart memories. Indestructible, heart-stopping snapshots of the past. And _**he **_never failed to surface. Those were the most durable of all. At first, I wasn't exactly sure why. Each time one would creep up on me, I delved into what happiness existed within, but they never failed to end the same—me, broken; unfixable. But I kept coming back. Emersion, rapture, rinse and repeat. And my rationality chided me for it.

What are you thinking?

Why do you put yourself through this?

Are you some sadistic fool?

That must be it.

Why else would you keep coming back to him?

I _**was **_a fool. But not sadistic.

I knew all too well why I couldn't hide myself from him or his memory.

I knew all too well why I wanted to be near him when I told myself I didn't, and then why I _**needed**_ to see him when I wanted to.

I knew all too well why I accepted the pain from the old wounds that would re-emerge with arms wide open.

Through all of it...I still loved him.

No matter how he acted, how much I had prayed that he would change and didn't, I still loved him.

I hated it.

I hated that I loved him.

Hated it but treasured it at the same time.

I tried hard—I did—in the past, but I just couldn't. I couldn't stop loving him no matter what I did. I could cry, scream, bleed or die. I'd still come back to him.

"It's...it's not you..." I whispered to the rain; my confidante, my proxy-Corrine.

"It's not...It's not you...it...it can't be..."

And then the thin sheet of sanity that held me in place cracked.

So I fell through.

"Why!?" I bellowed in the wet darkness.

My legs failed.

I dug my nails into the soggy soil and wailed.

"Stop it!!! Stop it, stop it, STOP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I tore up the earth.

"STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Was I burying myself? Was I trying to get myself to the center of the world and stay there until I was ready to forget love? I didn't really care. I didn't have control anymore. My body was a hollow shell. I was a scarecrow filled with straw; nothing inside me mattered. Just a cruel mixture of fury and unrequited love.

Fury and love that was still meant for Zelos Wilder.

* * *

After I arrived home to a moist Mizuho, it took me a few minutes to register that I was soaked to the bone from standing in the rain without realizing it had been hours. The dirt under my fingernails smelled stale, and there was a dark stain in the shape of my lower body where I had sat on the floor for who knows how long. Motivation began to fester like an itch in a place I couldn't scratch, so I went to my bedroom and threw off the wet clothes. There would be no point in letting them hang to dry; it was raining in the village too.

Instead of throwing on my favorite robe first thing, I let myself lay on the cool sheets that hadn't been touched this morning. They were a tad itchy on the bare spots that hadn't ever felt the sheet before. I waited, and sure enough it went away when they were used to it.

I knew I couldn't stay like this long. I was chief. I was needed by more than Grandpa and Tiga from now on. I had to be prepared for anyone to come and seek my aid. Even so, the cold that clung to the coverlets chilled the hot boiling blood beneath my skin that was redder than my true love's hair.

My _**true love's**_ hair?

Yes, yes I had just called him my true love.

His words from our brief meeting slunk to the front of my mind, his voice as smooth as melted chocolate.

_Honestly, Sheena. You and I are pretty close. Close friends are important right?_

_Why do you think, sweet thing? I missed seeing that pretty face of yours!_

His word stung like poison snake bites. The false sincerity. The clueless meaning. He had no idea how much I wished that everything he said meant something true, something real. When I was a teenager, he never used such words on me. He loved me, I know he did then. He did when I found him again; when we were lovers. When we laughed in the sun and danced like leaves in the wind as it rained. When we slept on the soft grass under the full moon. When we swam in the sea and combed through the forest.

When he held me close and night and made so many promises that I knew, in the back of my mind, and I tried to ignore it, he couldn't keep.

As I lay naked and vulnerable, I allowed myself to sob. I let every feeling I'd ever had toward him, be it good or bad, pour out in my cries. Being slashed or beaten was nothing compared to the pain of my emotion levees breaking. It was as if someone had begun to strip my heartstrings like a not-yet-ripe banana—it was messy and there were many rips in the peel. And the core, that was supposed to taste sweet, was revolting. The back of my eyelids played red and blue coils over and over again—my own mind's torture device; red hair, blue eyes. My legs convulsed.

This was what I had always imagined hell to be.

I wasn't really sure how long I'd been there either. But it was long enough for someone to come to the door.

"Sheena!" shouted a muffled voice. "Are you in there? Are you alright?"

I believed it to be Grandpa, but it sounded less husky like the Vice-Chief. Nevertheless, it was one of them, and I had to answer their call; my obligation.

I didn't bother checking to see if my clothes were dry because I knew they weren't, so I threw on my red robe—it was made from the finest silk and had a gold trim. Grandpa said it used to be Grandma Yuri's, so I accepted the gift with reverence and appreciation.

"I'm coming," I tried to bellow, but it was more of a whine then a yell.

I walked with heavy steps; hopefully that would be their clue that I wasn't in the mood for chitchat. Strictly business. A "Hello, what do you want, ok, bye" kind of conversation. At the moment I flung the door open, a tiny little irritation began to thrash in my stomach. It was Grandpa...and it was Vice-Chief. Not only that, Orochi was with them as well.

"Is something the matter, Sheena?" Grandpa asked, a wrinkle of concern forming on his forehead.

Orochi had one as well.

"No. No, I'm fine...I just—well—I'm tired and I think...I think the rain gave me a cold," I started to fidget. "Running out in it in Mel—in the city..."

Visibly, the three of them didn't believe a word I had said—rueful countenances. I wasn't that surprised. All had known me since childhood. But it was because they knew me so well they didn't press the matter further; that would have been provocation.

"May we have a word?" The Vice-Chief pulled out his hundred-watt smile.

There was a piece missing to this puzzle. My eyes went from Tiga to Grandpa, to Orochi, back to Grandpa, back to Orochi, and then settled on Tiga.

"What's up?"

Grandpa laughed. "Good news! Excellent news! Nothing bad, I promise, dear. May we enter?"

Inches away from saying no, my mouth formed the word yes. Grandpa said it wasn't horrible what they wanted to say, so my natural instincts of trust kicked in and I ceded.

Besides, it wasn't Grandpa that I was worried about.

It was Orochi that had me ill at ease. The way he'd looked at me when he came through the door, like there was a secret that I wanted to know, and he knew it, but he wouldn't tell me; a teasing kind of stare with puckish pursed lips. We were toe to toe; nose to nose. But he was one step ahead.

Grandpa sat down in an old maple rocking chair, a fleeting look of pain crossing his face. I hated those small yet significant signs that warned me Grandpa was getting old. I liked pretending he was ageless; it made it easier on me. Thinking about losing Grandpa for good when he just came back to me wasn't a notion that needed to be dwelled on.

Vice-Chief was the calmest out of the three. He spent his time staring at the bouquet of jasmine that I had set on the windowsill. I wanted to laugh, but at that moment it wasn't possible.

"Sheena, you have grown so much," Grandpa spread out his arms like he was about to embrace me. "It was practically yesterday when I had to force you to play with the other kids, and now you have become my successor. I can't even begin to say how proud I am of you."

I offered a genuine smile.

"Thank you, Grandpa. That means a lot to me."

"You don't have to thank me, my young one. It is my pleasure to boast about you."

He gave a grandfatherly laugh that was somewhat wheezy. Vice-Chief's eyes faltered from the flowers, but only those with a keen eye could have caught it.

"But..." Grandpa sighed, and gazed at me with something that seemed like love blended with regretful happiness. "That is not why we are here."

Orochi drummed his fingers on his thigh where his hand rested.

"Sheena Fujibayashi," Vice-Chief took over. "Are you aware that you are the first female to be appointed chief in all Mizuhoan history?"

I rubbed the back of my head coyly.

"Is...uh—is that a bad thing?"

"Oh, no. Of course it isn't."

"Great, haha..."

"But..."

My arm fell.

"But?"

"According to the Old Law written by our ancestors, all Chiefs must be married before they are officially selected to gain the title."

My fingertips went numb.

"Ma...Married? Vice-Chief...are-are you sure it says that?" It was more of a demand then a question.

"We are most certain, Sheena," Grandfather's tone had become somber.

"We have the records filed away in our index." Vice-Chief added.

"But-but why? Why does it say that? I've never heard of that before!"

"Sometimes, the current Chiefs and Vice-Chiefs pass away at the same time. In the event that both you and I die, there would need to be someone to take over the role. That's where the spouse of the Chief comes into play. It's purely a cautionary thing."

"So, let me get this straight...I have to marry in case you and I die?"

"Yes. There is no other option."

"Wait...Why-why can't Grandpa just be Chief again?"

"Because," Grandpa leisurely rocked in the chair, his eyelids drooping. "A Chief cannot be reinstated if he resigns. That is also written. I didn't die as Chief. I willingly gave the title to you."

I was beginning to become frantic. Me, married, now?! I just revived myself from reliving the pain that the only man I ever loved inflicted on me years ago, and now I was having to deal with forced matrimony? I couldn't take it. My body trembled, blood raced, breathing sped, and bones chilled.

Then Orochi spoke.

"Sheena Fujibayashi..."

_"...No. God, no..." _

"I...I have asked your Grandfather for your ...your hand in marriage."

"..._Please...please no!"_

"Sheena," Grandfather beamed. This must have been the greatest day of his life. "I fully approve. You will become Orochi Azumi's wife."

All I remember after that is black.


	10. Have Violent Ends

Hey Guys! Sorry it took so long, so many issues with graduation and getting my new computer and internet failures and no Microsoft word...but I'm back now, and I all hope you enjoy this new chapter! I thin this one is sad because it...well...you just have to read it! XD I plan to get more chapters up sooner because summer is coming and I'll have a lot more time. I've got a job babysitting, and that's so easy (put in a movie and your good for HOURS) and I'll have plenty of time to write! I'm excited to work on this story and to be able to finish it so everyone will like it. But I'm far from done because I'm only on the 9th chapter!

Please enjoy Chapter NINE! :D

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_Chapter Nine: ...Have Violent Ends _

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It was raining that night, too; that night when my world was destroyed.

The air that surrounded the Wilder Manor was muggy and thick; not inviting in the slightest. Taking in breaths was like swallowing water. The normally bright tile of the building was now darkened, giving the mansion an pernicious kind of visage. There were no candle lights at the windows, no warm hugs, no sweet words of welcome as I entered. Just a handsome redheaded man with purple bags under his eyes and a slash of a scowl on his lips.

Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

"Zelos?" I didn't bother removing my muddy shoes or drying of my dripping hair. "Zelos, are you alright?"

His face showed no change, and neither did his body. It was like he didn't even know I was there. My heart jumped into my throat as I gently grabbed his face, forcing our eyes to meet.

I had never seen such sadness, such hopelessness in his eyes before. They were blue pools of vibrating anguish.

"Zelos," I murmured in my smallest voice. "What's wrong? Tell me."

And within and instant, his blue eyes shifted. They were no longer distraught; they were infuriated. They were monsters.

"Get away from me," he didn't yell, but I recoiled as though he had.

"What's the matter with you?" My hands became fists.

"You're what's the matter with me!" Zelos yelled through his teeth.

"What have I done?" I quipped.

"How could you not _**tell me**_?"

"Tell you _**what**_?"

"You know _**DAMN WELL WHAT**_! I could have just found out from you, but instead I had to hear it from the princess. Do you know how that made me feel? Do you know how it broke me?"

"What on earth are you-"

"_**YOU**_ were the one! They picked _**you **_to _**risk your life **_and go to the other world!"

My fists went lax.

"Is that what this is all about?"

"You lied to me," Zelos hissed. "You lied."

"I didn't lie! The information _**was **_classified! I couldn't tell-"

"Then why did the princess tell me?" Zelos laughed without humor. "Is it because their _**royalty**_? I'm the fucking _**CHOSEN ONE**_! I've known about this for almost a year, and you think you couldn't have told me? **_Classified_**? What _**THE HELL WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND**_?"

I felt so little then. So diminutive and unimportant. He was right, I should have told him. Not just because he was directly involved, but because I loved him enough to believe he deserved the truth, yet I still hid it from him. Contrition bathed me in it's darkness, and all I could do was mutter incoherent apologies.

But he wouldn't have it.

"Why? Why did you do that? You could _**die**_, Sheena. _**DIE**_ over _**there**_! You don't know what it's like in the other world! If I lost you...I'd..._**I'd**_ die."

"I won't die-"

"You don't _**KNOW THAT**_!" He took a vase from a nearby table and through it to the ground, smashing it into dust, bright red poppy petals mixing with the glass. It looked more like blood at first glance. "You have no _**idea**_! I can't loose you, _**do you understand**_! What you're fighting for isn't worth _**YOUR LIFE**_!"

My own rage set me to my feet.

"_**You**_! That's what I'm fighting for! I'm fighting so I don't loose you!"

He laughed again, roughly running his hands through his flaming hair, turning so his body faced the portrait of his late, beautiful mother.

And then he picked up another face and threw it at her, the shards of glass ripping fat scars on the canvas, mangling her dress, face and hair. His face held no remorse for what he had done. My heart reached out to him, to Mylene, but it wasn't good enough. Nothing I could do was good enough.

"I won't have another person die...because of me."

"Zelos, you don't understand! I'm willing to risk my life for you because I _**love you**_! I love you, Zelos."

I waited, so long did I wait to hear him say it back like he always did, but it never came. There were times in that long stretch of minutes where his mouth would slightly open, and I'd get excited, only to be let down when he closed it. And after a while, he never moved again; just took in the damage that he'd done to the painting, took in the pleading of my voice without even acknowledging that I hadn't left.

"Zelos," I cooed like a frightened child. "I love you."

_He was a stone. _

"Zelos..."

_And I was a cavern. _

"Zelos, I love you."

_ A corner. _

"_**I love you**_, Zelos."

_A creel. _

"I love you...so much..."

_Full of weeds. _

"I truly love you...I do..."

_ Full of thoughts._

"...Please...tell me you love me too..."

_Full of chains. _

And then it came, the one thing that I'd hoped for so long that would never happen, and my world came crashing down around my feet.

"..._**I don't love you**_..."

For one moment, I was sure that I had switched places with the Mylene in the picture; my vision was obscured by long black gaps, but I could make out the utter vacancy in his stare, the surrender of his posture, the paleness of his complexion. Then I blinked, and I saw clearly, but it was just the side of his head, his face hidden by the long hair.

"...You don't mean that..." I knew the voice that came out from me was mine, but it sounded so different. So weak. So scared.

"Yes, Sheena. I do. I don't love you."

"_**NO**_!" I wailed, tears battling for freedom from my eyes. "You're _**lying**_! You're only saying that because you're afraid, you and I know it!"

And when he turned to look at me, I saw the truth. I saw it, but refused to believe that he no longer loved me. I wouldn't let him.

"You love me," I spat. "You do."

"No. I don't."

"What happened to what you told me, then? You waited for me, I waited for you! You kissed me on the day we left, and told me you couldn't live without me! How is that _**NOT LOVE**_?"

"I can't love you, Sheena. I can't love anyone."

"Stop it, just _**STOP IT**_! You can love, you idiot! Nothing is stopping you from loving."

He shook his head. He wasn't going to falter on his belief. Everything I said was in vain. But my obstinate will wouldn't let me give up so easily. I would make him love me again if I had to. I was willing to give up everything-anything-for his sake. He had to understand. He just had to.

"Zelos, please...I'll prove to you that we can love each other! You just have to open your eyes, _**please**_!"

His voice was getting louder. "No, Sheena."

"Yes, Zelos! Please, _**please**_ just listen to me."

"It's no use."

I ran to him. My hands sought out his, and I clutched them with a superhuman force. I held them in mine and fell to my knees, wet droplets seeping from my eyes onto his skin.

"We can get married. I'll marry you, Zelos. I'll live here with you. We don't have to be in Mizuho. We can live here and be together. Have children. Lay in bed for as long as we want...be more than just lovers...I promise. Just please...please don't give up on us now..."

But his eyes only begot hate. Horrible, unrelenting hate.

"Leave," He ripped his hands from mine; they felt cold and needy when he did. They knew what was coming-the absence of his skin on mine. Of the lips that the fingertips and palm and back would never feel again.

"Zelos, no-"

"_**LEAVE**_!" He roared, the blood rushing from his veins to his face. "Get out. Get out of my house."

"Zelos, please don't do this!" I was sobbing now, still on my knees. I needed a miracle, and there wasn't one in sight.

"You are just another girl to me, now. Please, for your sake...just...leave."

A tiny hole appeared in my chest. And it was growing.

"Wh-what...?"

"You are just another girl to me now. It has to be that way."

The one thing I feared most, to be just like the other girls who he felt nothing for, had just become a reality. But I still felt the lies burried deep under his facade. The part of him that still yearned for our love.

The part of him that I had to let go.

I cried in agony. I couldn't do it. I wanted to keep hold of him, but there was no way I'd be able to leave for Sylvarant if my heart didn't leave with me. Even if he cast away our love, there was no way I'd do the same and cease my plan to fight for his life in the other world. I had to show him that our love could exist...

I choked back my urge to cry. How could I do it when he was so adamant on our separation?

Anger shot up from my toes to my skull. How could he do this to me? I'd spilled out everything for him. Everything. My bare heart had been exposed; I had even agreed to abandon my home to be with him. And he rejected me. He scoffed my feelings. He'd crippled my spirit.

And yet...I still longed for him.

And that made me want to hurt him. The same way he hurt me.

"Fine...FINE! You-you..._**YOU STUPID CHOSEN**_!"

And I ran. I ran into that dark void of rain, my deepest desire to hold him in my arms and tell him that I still loved him. But I couldn't. I had to hate him now. We could never be what we were. We were broken. We were links in a separated chain. The lost pieces of an incomplete puzzle. Two petals plucked from a poppy. Each a half of one whole torn heart. We belonged together, but couldn't find a way to keep ourselves that way. And I began to loathe him for it. Blamed him for everything that went wrong.

But I had never been more ready to fight for his life in that distant world.


	11. Caged Birds

Ello, ello! I am so glad I was able to get this one up faster than the others! Haha. This chapter is one of my favorites. Not because of the content but I felt I wrote it better than the last one. Having no Word sucks, but I gotta give another shout out to my buddy Faux Promises for being my beta! She is so freakin' awesome. XD I'm currently working on the next chapter now. I really hope I get more reviews, the lack of them makes me a sad panda but I will write on as long as there are people who like what I write. ;) I can't wait to start writing the sequel to this. I'm just a machine right now. Please tell me what you think of this one!

Here's Chapter 10!

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_Chapter Ten: Caged Birds_

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A great scarf of birds fluttered through the sky that evening, the rippling blackness tarnished the swirls of pinks and oranges and star-speckled purples of the impending night. I took in the scenery in slow spoonfuls, not daring to disturb the meticulous universe.

And, with a groan from the heart, I prayed that the universe that I no longer wished to disturb was my universe once again. I was a blue bird pinned to the wall by the wings, agonizing in pain, and longing to fly.

But I couldn't. I was to be married within the hour.

I had remembered watching Mizuhoan marriages as a young child, marveling at the formal dress of the people, the intimacy of the ceremony itself, and the thousands upon thousands of symbolic flowers spread throughout houses and monuments the village, like a harmless, sweet-scented disease. The thrill riled me, but not this time.

Because this was my own wedding.

A wedding to someone who I did not love.

But what was I supposed to say? How could I refused the wishes of my own grandfather and my Vice-Chief? Worse still, how was I to tell Orochi that his feelings for me were not reciprocated?

It wasn't possible.

My tongue had to be held.

I was a button-eyed doll, a mid-air arrow and a sour apple all alloyed together.

At the pinnacle of that small amount of time between day and night, I stood before a long mirror in the chief's office, absorbing the outcome of my beautification ritual with resolute disdain.

The kimono I wore had belonged to my Grandma Yuri, who had left it behind for me. It was a gorgeous red with a gold flower print and a matching gold obi. My untamed black hair was tied neatly in a bun atop my head, three loose strands of bangs hanging down in front of my forehead for style. The wooden shoes were far from comfortable, but wearing something that belonged to the grandmother I'd never met brought her spirit close to me, and I knew she was beside me now, hopefully thinking that I was just as beautiful as she had been on her wedding day.

The difference being, of course, that she had wanted it.

As my grandfather asked Orochi and I to kneel before the altar that marked the entrance to Mizuho, mortification made the redness on my ears swell to the rest of my my friends who I'd traveled with, plus more had greeted me with enraptured smiles and unneeded tears. Especially Colette. If I hadn't of known any better, I would have thought she'd just seen a dog die right before her eyes.

But I couldn't see Zelos anywhere.

I did my best to blank out during most of grandfather's "Why Marriage is Important" speech, and tried to scan the crowd of people without being too barefaced about it. But he was no where to be found. I wasn't sure whether to be dismayed that he had left me alone or relieved that he wasn't there to see everything; had I seen him, I probably would have fled without looking back once.

We joined hands, and grandfather sealed us together in the old language, which I loved to hear. Orochi's palms were soft, but mine were mucid and itchy. Adoration oozed from his, while mine secreted doubt. Could he tell I didn't want to do this? Or was he so wrapped up in "loving" me that he'd failed to notice what _**I**_ felt.

When grandfather finished, he place a wreath of thorn-less red and white roses, which symbolized our unity as husband and wife.

And then Orochi pressed his lips to mine, the lightest kiss I'd ever had...or at least that I could remember.

And I felt absolutely nothing. No spark. No jolt. No shiver. Just two body parts colliding at random.

The rest of the evening and part of the night was spent with Mizuho in festival mode. Singing, wine, dancing, music, and flowers all spun around me in a rainbow tornado, Orochi never once leaving my side; he clung to me like a vines to a brick wall.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" He whispered in my ear as we watched some of the village women dance with pink and white laurels in their hair.

"The dancing?"

"Everything..."

"Oh! Oh-yes. All of it. It's gorgeous."

Orochi chuckled under his breath; too intimately, in my opinion.

"You're nervous? I've never heard you stutter like this before."

"Where did _**your **_stuttering go all of a sudden?"

He flushed as our eyes locked.

"I suppose our marriage made me a bit more...comfortable with you..."

I shot daggers at him with my eyes.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Orochi rose his hands.

"Don't take it the wrong way, Sheena. My affection for you was returned. I no longer have the fear of proving myself to you."

At the joy plastering his face, my eyes softened. He truly cared for me, but he was painfully oblivious. He had no idea that my feelings for him were only those of friendship. A companionship that would never grow into anything more.

I couldn't tell him the truth. I couldn't shake the feeling that I had become the innocent fly caught in a spider web.

So I fled. I snuck away; back to the room where the whole day had began.

The tall mirror hadn't moved. I was still just as beautiful as before, but I could see a dark difference.

I was a wife now. Orochi Azumi's wife.

Tears fogged my vision, and it took many ragged breaths to keep them from flooding my face. I cleaved to the thought of being able to run away, but I knew in my heart of hearts that thinking such incorrigible thoughts would only further crush what joy I had left.

"Sheena?" a soft voice called out from behind me.

I twisted my head around.

And felt what was left of my sanity burst.

Zelos.

Still handsome as always, his long hair fell down around his hair like red ocean waves. He wore an pearl white button up shirt, vest, slacks and shoes all black. I admired his suave attire, but only when I saw the small bouquet of yellow roses his hands did I fall back into the chasm of the present. I threw my eyes up to meet his, hoping that they were just as easy to read from that time so long ago, but there was so much light and cheer in them, it knocked me for six.

He was..._**happy**_.

Zelos was happy...that I marred by marriage.

"Look at you," there was an almost inaudible gasp as he spoke. "Sheena, you're... a breath-taking bride..."

I opened my mouth to thank him, but nothing came; my voice had died when I saw him standing there, content crowding every corner of him.

He his body language was jaunty as he walked, shoving one hand in the pocket of his slacks and leaving the one holding the flowers by his sides.

"You must be embarrassed. Nervous, too." He winked. "You're pink with it."

How was it that I was so easy to read? I nodded, but he never reacted. I wanted to disappear. I wanted to fall to pieces like all of the broken vases and never be seen whole again. My love for him burned like wood under a fire, and I wanted so badly for him to take me away from here, from Orochi, from marriage.

So he could be my world, my sun, my light, my air. My everything.

No matter how hard I tried, there was no escape. I couldn't tell him how much I loved him now; how he haunted my dreams and played prodigious tunes on my heart strings. His love for me had died long ago, and we could no longer be what we once were, no matter how much I'd do for it.

"Zelos," I whispered as though he were my lifeline.

"Hmm?" He piped up, plucking one yellow flower and placing it in my bun, the ends of his fingers glancing off of my forehead. I felt so much good energy flow from him into me, and it took all I had not to take his hands back; to reconnect. "I'm glad I picked yellow. It matches your outfit so well..."

And then we were a breath apart, the tip of his nose centimeters from mine. In his eyes, I saw swirling emotions, but none were those of regret. I could only hope that he saw the same in my eyes, but he was always so much better at hiding his feelings than me; I had to look away.

"Zelos," I sighed, imagining his lips on mine, lighter than a lazy summer breeze.

"Say it," his urge was breathy. "Whatever you need to say, say it _**now**_."

My eyes found his again, and that was when I saw it. The unbridled compunction. The recalescent desire. His mask had fallen away. There was nothing hidden between us anymore. We were stripped bare like a tree in autumn. Exposed like an opened wound.

I closed my eyes, half of me wanting this moment to end, the other half yearning for it to last forever. Zelos, with delicacy, took my face in his hands, holding it as if it were an injured bird he was trying to rescue.

"Say it." When his spoke, his lips brushed mine; it was like static electricity in the dark; the passion between us was blatant.

But I didn't know what to say. Telling him I loved him-it was too late for that. Orochi and I were married merely minutes ago. I was moving on without him. We had had our test, and we failed. There wasn't a do-over. There were no second chances.

I had stalled for too long for him-he acted.

Tenderly, Zelos fused our lips together, and they moved in awesome synchronization.

Feverish, I wrapped my hands around his neck, pulling him closer. My hands found his blood-colored hair and braided themselves with it. His own hands rested on my back, but with the slightest force, held me in place. He smelt of waterfalls and open fields and tasted of marmalade and meringue. Decadence had us cornered, and our passions merged for what seemed like a painful eternity.

And even though I walked cloud nine, the horrible ache of adultery was what pulled me out of the unimaginable reverie.

"I-I can't..." My voice cracked at refusing him. "...It's too late."

He smiled. A mid sized grin appeared on his lips. He looked down, shuffled his feet, and looked back up. The longing in his eyes was overbearing as he reached out to caress my face-it might has well have been another kiss. His touch was so loving, something that I didn't think I could go without. Two fingers tilted my face up to meet his, and the love I had for him turned into painful, spiked spires in my veins.

"Be happy. For me, Sheena, please be happy..."

_ "...The love in my heart is caged like a bird..." _

"I'm sorry..."

_"...I hear it singing every day, and I wonder why..." _

"...that we couldn't have been..."

_"...but that is just a lie..." _

"...what we should have been..."

_"...Because I know why..." _

Zelos Wilder pecked my bottom lip one last time.

_ "...it's praying..." _

And he placed my hand over his heart.

_"...praying for flight..." _

And walked away.

Heartache metastasized to every nerve ending in my legs; I was seconds away from meeting the floor. His steps were crawls, and as I stared at the red and black of his back, I felt my love-bird pounding at the bars of it's prison, fighting for it's stymied freedom. I wanted all of him, and I wanted him to want all of me. To give Zelos all of me, and vise versa. To be in his arms again, just like it was during those long months of bliss.

But it was too late; too late for change.

My legs gave way as soon as the sliding door closed, taking him.

And our love would remain in our sweetest memories, where it was supposed to be.


	12. Forget Me Not

Hello, ello everyone! I'm so glad I'm able to update so quickly; I love summer and how I have nothing else better to do but write. Lol. This chapter is one of the last very sad chapters that I will write (hopefully anyway). The others should just get more cheery from here. I hate writing sad stuff, but the sequel to this is nothing but funny so I wanna get to that soon. And the sooner I write this, the sooner I can get to it. :) Thanks much to everyone who reveiws, reads and supports me. And to the Sheelos Community; you guys are amazing! Thanks also to Faux Promises for being my beta while my Word is out of commission. She's awesome. :0

Here is Chapter 11 and I hope everyone likes it!

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_Chapter 11: Forget-Me-Not_

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I sang a love song on our wedding night. To my surprise, Orochi really didn't think twice about it. He stared at me with an innocent kind of love-as if I were his young daughter showing him a crude picture of a flower that I had drawn myself for the very first time. I guessed he just assumed I was singing about him; about us. But I wasn't singing about him. I was singing about Zelos. About how beautiful he was and how my love for him had weathered the worst storms.

It had even weathered marriage.

I had decided not to join Orochi in our new bed until I head him start snoring; when the moon was at its highest point in the sky. But even then, I was too leery to fall asleep. The look Orochi had given me when he told me he was tired had stirred up all the ignored trepidation I had before our nuptials. I knew what he wanted. He wasn't ready to sleep. He was ready to go to bed. They weren't one in the same anymore.

So I played the fool; I said I wasn't ready to sleep, but if he was it was fine by me. The look changed from lascivious to disgruntled, and he went on his way.

But what was I supposed to say? I didn't want him the way he wanted me. Making love to Orochi...the very idea disgusted me to no end! I was repulsed by the idea of consumating a marriage to a man who might as well have been my brother. And I couldn't help the way I felt. I had wanted to tell him how I felt, but how could I hurt him like that? And now it was too late. I couldn't tell the truth to anyone; not if it meant I had to marry him in order to protect my Mizuho as the chief. I would give my life for my home.

And if I could give that, I could give my happiness too.

Distraction became my great escape in the first few weeks of my marriage to Orochi. I sang often. I sung of love and hate. I sung of greif and joy. I sung songs of truth and of lies. I sung of everything I could think of that would help me take my mind off of becoming a wife. I buried myself in chief's paper work and scout missions for my village so that I didn't have to go to the home that wasn't just mine anymore.

And in my private moments, I pulled out Corrine's beautiful bell; the bell that Zelos had refurbished for me. Touching it helped me remember what his lips had felt like on my wedding day-the day I had not only kissed my future husband, but the man I loved most.

In the mirror I no longer saw the same me from so long ago. I had transformed. I knew I was not as strong as I had been. The love for him that had been uncovered, not grown, had made me weak-I feared weakness. Especially now, in so fragile a time. I had to reclaim that abandoned resolve.

Zelos was no longer mine. And I was no longer his.

It was time to start life anew.

As the sun teetered toward the west, I trekked out towards the river behind the village with a wicker basket of clothes balanced on my head. Today was laundry day, and all the Mizuhoan women had gathered near the flowing water to clean their families garments and gossip. I usually stood at the far end of the stream; where less of the women washed because of the level of water, but today I was drawn to the populated end. I couldn't explain why. Even though I'd just had another large gathering of friends and a spouse, I felt more alone than ever.

Normally, I would have tuned out the news from the grapevine, but today's talk piqued my interest; it was about me.

"The new chief is so lucky," said one woman.

"Why do you say that?" said the other.

"She married the oldest Azumi. It's a good family to marry in to. They've been serving the leaders of our village for centuries."

"But what about the other boy?"

I tried to ignore it then. I really did. But I couldn't.

"Kuchinawa's always been the...odd one. But Orochi, he's the model son."

"And handsome! Don't forget that."

"My daughters all wanted to be his wife, too, you know."

"Well I know about Michi. But Riku too?"

_"...I know her..." _

"Pity for your Michi though. I was sure they would get married."

Michi from the Koga family. She was another kid Orochi and I grew up with. Orochi and Michi were once betrothed. It was a typical custom for certain families to betroth their children at a young age. I, at one point, had been betrothed to Kuchinawa and Orochi to Michi Koga, but at a certain age the children are allowed to choose whether or not to go through with the marriage. I, obviously, was no longer promised to Kuchinawa. I didn't really want to marry him anyway. I saw him exactly the same as I saw Orochi. That and the whole Zelos thing...

I remember the day Orochi rejected Michi Koga. Michi and I were seventeen, and Orochi was nineteen, which meant Zelos was twenty (Zelos was three years my senior, and Orochi was two). Michi had her almond-brown hair almost to the backs of her knees at that time. Orochi took her hands and told her that his feelings weren't there. She cried, and he held her for the longest time...

Instantly, I wished that Orochi hadn't annulled his engagement to Michi Koga. He, in his teenage years, watched her the way he watched me now; with complete adoration. Orochi hadn't ended that engagement because he didn't love her; he had told me so. He cut it off because he wanted to devote his life to the way of the ninja. His occupation had been more important than true love.

But he gave it up for me, which didn't really make sense. Did he truly love me more than he had loved Michi Koga? Or was there something else at work behind his supposed adoration?

There was no way to figure it out for sure. Orochi would only profess more love for me. As I scrubbed sheets, I pretended that the rainbow soap bubbles were shooting stars, wishing on each one that Orochi would fall back in love with that Michi Koga, that he would ask for our marriage to be annulled, and that Zelos and I could finally be together, like we always wanted but could never have.

Orochi was a good man. He was handsome. He would make a wonderful husband.

But...

"She should just forget all of this and move on with her life," quipped the first woman.

"Trying to forget...it just makes it harder to let go."

Zelos was more than that. He was a remarkable man. He was beautiful. He would be a husband like no other. I loved him with the depth and breadth of my whole heart. No one could top him.

My star-bubbles might not have worked, but they gave me something that was just as good.

Hope.

Zelos was my Forget-Me-Not.

Because I couldn't and wouldn't ever forget him.

_"...I will follow your voice...all you have to to is shout..." _

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With a broken heart and contrite spirit, I returned back to my home determined to have a positive attitude. Surprisingly enough, the wet linens that would soon be clean helped boost my optimism more than I thought it would, making it seem more like it was a desperate attempt to keep me from cracking.

I chuckled at that, remembering how I had hated laundry while on the journey of "world regeneration". Colette had been a fuel pump of mirth back in those days. Fleetingly, I wished that she would show up to inject warm-blanket-like felicity back into my system. But I couldn't rely on her; I really couldn't rely on anyone. If I wanted to be happy again, I would have to do it myself.

I hung the sheets and clothes out to dry on the line beside my home, and for the longest time I just sat inside by the window and watched them. Occasionally, a strong wind would jostle them in the breeze, sending droplets of river water from the fabric and onto the ground.

And I thought about him. How he could make me laugh even when I didn't want to. How he could make me feel beautiful, but I could never tell him or else it would go to his head. How he could send electricity through me without using once ounce of magic. How I thought he truly was an angel even though he hated the thought of it.

How I loved him. How I hoped he loved me.

Shadows stretched as the sun fell down, and, subconsciously, I knew time was passing, but my body never felt stiff or numb. It was if I had only sat there for five minutes when the horizon that was once blue had been painted faintly orange and pink.

"Have you been sitting there all day?" Orochi said to me. I knew it was him, but I didn't budge.

I didn't really want to look at him when I thought about Zelos.

"No. I just sat here," I lied.

"Oh..." He crept up behind me.

_'...Too close...' _

"They're dry," I said breathlessly; it was nervousness.

I sat up from the chair I had placed by the window, but when I turned to go, he blocked my path. My heart dropped to my stomach.

"I should go get those before night you know," I smiled, hoping that I could win with kindness instead of force.

But he was adamant. He stood there, staring at me like a deer who had seen a bright light.

"I love you," He blurted.

I wiggled my fingers at my sides. I rocked on my heels. This was quickly becoming uncomfortable.

"I...love you too," I beamed with my eyes closed. I couldn't meet his stare when I said it. It wasn't really a lie, but it wasn't an absolute truth either.

"You do?"

"Of course."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," I chortled.

"...You are certain?"

"What's with the interrogation?"

"I-I...I suppose I'm just confused."

"Confused?" I snorted. "We are married aren't we? How I feel is how I feel. There's really nothing to be confused about. You're paranoid. Now, I need to get those clothes before the bugs-"

"Then why won't you lay with me?"

That was a punch to the gut. I was winded. The deer was me now. The effects of sitting still for such a long time finally unearthed. Blood flowed at a record time to my legs, which made my lower half feel much heavier than the top. I had to grab the back of the chair to steady myself.

How was I supposed to answer that? I couldn't tell him the truth. Saying "I don't see you that way. I'm in love with Zelos. Yes, that one" would crush him. And I loved him as a brother, and breaking my brother's spirit was not the job of a sister; even more than being honest with them. I had to lie to keep him stable.

"I-I...I'm just not...I'm nervous, OK? I can't-can't explain-ugh...this is so awkward..."

"I'm your _**husband**_. It shouldn't _**be awkward**_."

_'...That's the awkward part...' _

"I...I just want...I want to take things slow, you know? We haven't been married that long..."

"It's been almost a month, Sheena. I love you, so I will be patient, I suppose..."

Now I felt like a scolded child. "I'm sorry. I just...I can't help it."

He smiled softly and pecked the top of his head with his lips. "I know, my love. I will do whatever it is in my power to make you happy."

"Can I go take down the laundry now?" I smirked.

_'Please let me go. Please let me go. Please let me go.' _

"Yes," Orochi chuckled, running one hand over my hair.

I bolted for the door. I couldn't be in there any longer. It was bad enough that I couldn't stop thinking about Zelos, but Orochi pressing the issue of making love made me want to vomit and cry. How could I sleep with a man I didn't love? In my eyes, that was the ultimate expression of love. Two people...they can't get any closer than that. I saw it as a gift for your true love that you couldn't give to anyone else.

And how could I give that to Orochi when it was something that I wanted to give to Zelos; the man I truly loved?

Asking me to do that was something I couldn't even fathom. It was wrong. It made me feel as if I were betraying my love for him to someone else.

Tears stabbed my eyes as I unpinned one of the sheets. How was this fair? What had I done to deserve this torture? I had done everything ever asked of me. I had stayed loyal to my village, even when I felt like no one could ever accept me again. I had saved my Tethe'alla and Sylvarant from total destruction, and the lives of two dear ones-one being Zelos himself! So many times I had been willing to sacrifice myself for the sake of others. I had done more than enough to deserve infinite joy.

And even when I thought it was mine, I lost it all again. I had the respect. I had honor. I had the love of my family and village.

But didn't have the one person I wanted by my side with me. And it hurt more than any knife in my heart.

I moved to take the sheet down, but the shadow of a figure appeared behind it.

I froze, reaching one had down in case I needed a seal, and I waited. They would pull back the circumstantial curtain, and I would be ready to strike.

But as the shadow became closer, it took a solid shape; became more recognizable.

_'...It can't be...' _

A hand pulled back the white material.

And I drowned within a pair of ocean-blue eyes and fiery red hair.

"Surprise," Zelos whispered with a wink.


	13. The Opportunity

Hello, ello everyone! Wow, I really liked this chapter A LOT! Haha. The only people that appear is Sheena and Zelos, and it's got a lot of Sheelos undertones. And it's very emotional banter between them, with a little plot twist thrown in at the end. I love writing Zelos, I do. XD He's just so so much fun to write, that's why the next thing I will post on this community will be in his point-of-view. Once I did it for the first time I couldn't help but want to do it again! Anyway, I noticed that people were done with the sadness, so this chapter really isn't sad, but it is candid. Well...mostly candid. I really want to know what you guys think so please review and tell me what you think!

Here is my new favorite chapter, Chapter 12!

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_Chapter Twelve: The Opportunity_

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Deftly, I slipped my left hand behind me and touched the cold tip of a throwing knife hidden within my obi. A rapid bite of pain followed by a warm wetness-blood. This was actually happening; no dream at all. Zelos was here. With me. Right now. Jocoseness thundered through me like the detonation of a grenade; sudden enough to stop my heart and kill me where I stood. My bubble wishes hadn't been quite on the mark, but they had gotten it close. They brought him back to me.

Zelos was exceedingly handsome in the glamorous glow of the evening. Light gave his blood-colored hair soft strawberry blond highlights, and it made his eyes seem deeper, bluer. Much more ocean like than they already were. The optical illusion gave them an ebb and flow like the rolling tide. It was a wave I yearned to crash into every day. He looked like spring and smelt like autumn. And from my not-too-distant memory, his lips tasted strongly of summer.

His posture wasn't odd; it was easy, like always. But there was something about him that was different I could really see at first glance. Gestures were the same. Movement too. I began to think I was becoming paranoid until I fully studied his face. Zelos' dimples were larger. His cheeks flushed. Smile lines streaking his face. Overt signs of elation. Could his positive attitude have a legitimate cause, or was this all an act to get me comfortable. I was used to staying on my toes with Zelos, so resorting to such measures wasn't a difficult task. Though I loved him with all of me, I wouldn't let him pull a fast one. If that was what he was trying to do, anyway.

"So how's the married life with your hard-faced hubby, hunny?"

"My, my..." I said lackadaisically, not really enjoying the fact he already brought up Orochi. "To what or whom do I owe this lovely visit? And everything's fine, thanks _**so much**_ for asking."

Zelos, in a tactful manner, pushed his way past my hanging laundry to close the gap that separated the two of us. He was close to me, almost close enough for our skin to touch. I felt the energy developing between our bodies; ferocious and somewhat...prurient. I wanted him, and I wanted to believe that he wanted me as well.

He inclined his head toward mine, our faces begging to be brought together. A strand of his soft hair fell from behind his ears and tapped against my nose. But I couldn't lose my cool. No matter how much I loved him, I would not stoop so low as to forgo my occupation as a wife.

_'...Did I just call it...an occupation?'_

"I haven't seen such a pretty face in so long," Zelos murmured. He ran one gloved hand along my cheek. It gave me goose pimples; My prayers that he didn't notice were minute wildfires in my chest.

"Thanks for the sweet talk, but now tell me the truth," I glowered and slapped his hand away. As much as I enjoyed our close proximity, I couldn't risk the temptation. I would not sacrifice my honor for a moment of passion. "What are you doing here?"

"What?" He gasped, but his hand found it's way back to my face. Oh yeah...like he didn't know... "I figured you would end up visiting me, but here I am coming to you. It's been three weeks, you know."

"I'm a workaholic."

And then his lips were at my ear, and as he spoke, I swear I could feel him biting down on the soft flesh. A ticklish worm of need swam through my veins, and all I could do was wait and hope that I could maintain my initial desire to be chaste.

"Well...I'm a Sheenaholic."

"Oh, please!" I huffed, pushing him back; he took my breath away, but if my words were frigid, he would think I just agitated, not...something else.

He put his hands up with a smirk. "Cross my heart, baby."

I crossed my arms to help build my defense. "So you come here to seduce a married woman, huh? Real classy, Zelos. I shouldn't have expected more from you."

Immediately, I wanted like mad to take back what I had said, but it had already been turned loose.

Zelos glowered this time, except his was much less comical than mine must have appeared to be. Cogent anger overcame his whole being. His posture became conservative. His face became hard. A storm swelled in the sea of his eyes, turning them gray and dark. It flowed outward to me, sending shivers down my spine and pain in my teeth. My first instinct was to take a step back, but curiosity kept me still. Why was he incensed to this magnitude? There was no way he felt the same for me as I did for him; he told me so himself on that day more than a year ago...

And then, speedier than a blink, his whole demeanor took did a one-eighty. All of the joie de virve that I thought I had completely destroyed with my comment sprouted once again- posture, gestures, face, smile. How abnormal could you get?

"As much as I would love to continue that conversation, I'll be the kind one and change the subject. I'm here on royal business, if you really want to know."

All the accumulated tension in my muscles dissipated.

"Royal business, huh? That's never good news."

Zelos winked again. The man I loved in secret reached into his pale pink vest and removed a small, vanilla colored envelope; the wax seal of the King of Tethe'alla had been broken, and I could see the black ink ribbons of sloppy cursive words shining through as Zelos held it toward the fading sun.

"This is from His Majesty. But, as you can see, I already read the letter."

"Your rudeness is appalling," I grunted, but my lips betrayed me as they formed into a grin.

He waggled his brows. "You mean sexy, right?"

"No. I mean appalling. I know what the word means."

"First time for everything, I guess."

"Hey, just because I don't know as many words as you doesn't mean I'm dumb!"

"I didn't call you dumb. I just said you had a limited-"

"Why the hell did you read my letter, anyway?"

He laughed then, but it held a mocking tone; like he was laughing at my foolishness, not my clumsiness.

"That's the one thing I really like about you, Sheena. You don't ever change. You are still violent, demonic and banshee-like."

"I'm in no mood for name calling, you**_ stupid Chosen_**."

"Ahh!" Zelos hissed through his teeth, clutching his heart as if I had punched his chest. "Not the evil C word! I give. You win, hunny."

Triumphantly, I reached out to snatch the letter from his hands, but as soon as my fingertips glanced off the letter, he shot his arm up as high as it could go, suspending my assignment a good two and a half feet in the air above me.

"Hey, you said I won!"

"I did. What I **_didn't_** say was that I'd give you the letter."

Even though I usually loved his convivial approach to the King's dependence on the two of us to make peace with the people of Sylvarant, his amusement was beginning to make my blood hot. I loved him, yes, but sometimes it took all I had to fight of the urge to act on my violence and not strangle him with my bare hands...

"Relax, Miss Hot-Head," Zelos spun the letter between his fingers. "He wants you to go to Iselia. This letter is actually for our dear Lloyd Irving. His Highness would like you to play errand girl and give it to him."

I blinked, many times. That was really all he wanted?

"To Lloyd? That's not so bad, I guess."

"I thought so, too. 'S not like he's asking you to leap the moon. And he did say that most of the work you do will be in Iselia, remember?"

"I remember everything he told me, Zelos Wilder," My tongue held snake venom. "Even the part where he said **_you_** were the one that volunteered me. Why did you come to tell me this? I could have just **_read_** the letter and figured it out for myself. I _**can**_ read."

What came out of his mouth next sent something heavy into my stomach.

"I came to tell you because I'm going with you, sweetheart."

What a dichotomy; I was literally pulled in two. Half of me longed to jump and scream out of excitement. The other cowered from trepidation. Spending time alone with Zelos was what I had dreamed of since the night we kissed, but I was a married woman and had duties to that marriage. I couldn't just forget about them. Adultery was a serious crime in our culture, and was met with serious punishments...

"You're going with me?" I was astonished my voice worked. "Why?"

"Well, since we have no more flying machines, you'd have to walk there. It's far to Iselia. About two days on foot, if I'm not mistaken, And two days back." He tucked the letter back into his vest. "The King suggested to send you with a bodyguard, and I thought: what could be better than protecting a pretty girl for a few days? Nothing, that's what."

"I don't need anyone to keep me safe, thank you very much," My nose wrinkled at the idea of being protected like an infant. "I can do that on my own."

Not that I didn't want time alone with Zelos. But I knew if I just kept arguing, it would make him even more intransigent on accompanying me.

Zelos placed his thumb and index finger on his chin. "Hmm, now, I seem to remember quite a few times when some of us had to risk their necks to come and save you. I, of course, am included in this list, my dear."

"This is different. Who's going to hurt me now?"

"You truly never know, darling. And I couldn't bear it if you got hurt when there was something I could have done about it."

Color swam to my cheeks. At least he cared about my well-being. That was a start.

It was a good time to throw in the towel.

"There's really nothing I can say to change your mind is there?" I pinched the skin between my eyebrows.

"Afraid not," He purred. "You are stuck with me, hunny, now and forever."

_'...You don't know how much I wish that was true...' _

"Oh, how **_wonderful_**," the sarcasm was more ersatz than usual. "So when are we leaving? Next week?"

Zelos ran his tongue over his lips impishly. "Now?"

"What!" My hands flew to my sides to form my stance of strength. "Couldn't you have told me this two days ago? I'm the leader of this village now! I can't just run off without informing anybody!"

Zelos rolled his eyes. "Such a drama queen. It's urgent business. Just tell them that. It's the truth. Besides, this letter wasn't in my hands until yesterday night, and I didn't really want to come up her late an interrupt you and hubby in bed."

"We haven't ever-!" I threw my hands to my mouth.

Dammit.

Zelos' brows went taut. "What did you say?"

"N-Nothing," I turned my face towards my hanging laundry. It glowed in the darkness, like a lighthouse calling a ship home. "I'll tell Vice-Chief and-"

"No-no-no-no-no! Don't try that crap with me. Were you about to say...what I **_think_** you were about to say?"

"I-I have no idea what-"

"You haven't slept with him, have you?" Zelos smiled from shock and regalement. "You two have been married a month and you haven't even-"

"That is none of your business!" I shouted, mortified. "Just drop it!"

"...You don't love him do you?" Zelos grabbed my shoulders with a soft grip. "You didn't marry him because you loved him!"

"That's not true!" I jerked myself backward. "You don't know-"

"Then why aren't you making love?" Zelos shouted back; not angrily. "You can't love someone without wanting it! You can marry someone without planning it!"

"I-I..." I didn't want to lie, but I had to. He couldn't know. Not now that we were through. "I'm just nervous about it, okay? There, I'm embarrassed now, is that what you want? I'm scared to sleep with him."

"Why are you scared?"

"I-" But I couldn't answer that. I knew the truth about why I was scared to be with Orochi like that, but what would be a good lie? That I didn't know what it would be like? That I wasn't sure I would enjoy it? None of them really had any good foundation. I was caught in Zelos' trap.

Zelos grinned without happiness. "I don't believe you. I know you too well, Sheena. If you really loved him, it wouldn't matter how scared you'd be. You'd do it. You would sleep with him."

"I do love him," I hated lying to him more and more with each false word. "I can't explain why I'm afraid, I just am, okay? I don't understand why it matters..."

"Because I know exactly what you would do," he hissed. "You'd marry anybody if it was required of you. Did they ask you to do this? Did they tell you to marry him?"

"I...had to get married-"

"Oh my God," Zelos laughed without humor, shoving his hands in his hair. "I knew it. I _**knew**_ it!"

"It was a law! I...I couldn't be the chief without a husband!"

"But you don't _**love **_him Sheena!" He grabbed me again. I felt like crying onto his shoulders. I really did. But I said I would be strong, I made that vow, and I intended to keep it.

"You don't know me as well as you say you do-"

"That's bullshit, and you know it."

My front teeth clamped hard on my lower lip. I shifted my eyes back and forth, as if looking for the words in the air, but I saw nothing. Just stars and dark.

And then he smirked; a brazen kind of aura flowed out from his pores and surrounded him like an inward light. His hands still on my shoulders, he bent down so his blue eyes and my brown ones could connect, and I swear I smelt sea salt on his breath when he said:

"Look...let me take you away for a few days. Come with me and we can see Lloyd, Colette and Genis. You can clear your head. Get a better perspective about what you want."

"There's nothing to clear," My voice was a feather. "I** _know_ **what I want."

"You may think that now," Zelos leaned back and wagged a finger in front of my face. "But you never know. You haven't left this village for a month. And I'm pretty damn persuasive, thank you very much."

There was nothing more I could have asked for then spending almost a week with Zelos, especially if most of the time we were to have would be the two of us alone. He was offering to spirit me away from all the worries and cares of Mizuho, which were beginning to pump stress into me. But there was a risk. I couldn't let him know the pain that I felt while married to Orochi and loving him without being able to return it. Our kiss on my wedding day meant more to me then it ever would to him. I couldn't have him the way I truly wanted to have him, it would all be in vain...

Zelos extended his hand out towards mine, his lips lightly pursed, his eyes shining, his fire-colored hair dusting his face in the wind.

"Come away with me."

I could keep my emotions hidden. I could control myself. I would do anything for this.

For this was my last chance. The only opportunity I might ever get to have him by my side for more than a day.

"...I'll go pack." I accidentally beamed.

_'...Because when opportunity knocks...' _

Zelos slipped me one more tantalizing wink. "That's my girl."

_'...one must answer...' _


	14. The Heat

Hello, ello everybody...again... haha! I'm kinda amazed at myself for writing so much. I think it's because I babysit during the day and all the kids do is watch TV and play video games and I get to write. I've really never written this much in such a short time. XD I really enjoy it. I guess it's because I'm at the point in this fic that I've wanted to be at for so long, I just don't feel like stopping. This chapter is intense. Probably the most intense one I've written so far. Again, it's mostly just between Zelos and Sheena, but their relationship as always been that way, at least in my opinion. I think the chapter's title is quite appropriate, since in some of the scenes I felt the heat coming off of my skin. XD Haha. Thanks so much to the entire Sheelos community for being so welcoming, the Verbal Irony team for their enthusiasm, Faux Promises for being so fantastic, and to the readers and reviewers for getting the story this far. I am so honored to have 56 reviews and over 200 hits. I love you. :)

Chapter thirteen is dedicated to everyone at Verbal Irony!

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_Chapter Thirteen: The Heat_

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As I traipsed back inside of the house, I caught the familiar sight of Orochi, sitting by a candle in the corner of our living room, reading a small book and sipping his home-made herb tea. I almost didn't want to tell him where I was going, to break up his serenity, but I figured if I just up and left without a word, he would have a right to ask me where I was going since we _**were**_ husband and wife. No matter how much I wished it wasn't so.

All of a sudden, as I made my way over to him, I felt as if I were walking a tightrope. The main fear was that he would try and stop me from going to Iselia with Zelos. Even though I knew it was unlikely-It was my duty to Tethe'alla, after all-I couldn't help but feel the need to leave out the fact that I wasn't going alone. Maybe if I did that, he wouldn't feel the need to step in...

Nonetheless, intentionally misleading a husband wasn't something that a wife was supposed to do, and I had already done enough fibbing to Zelos about my true feelings for Orochi. My desire to fabricate had fizzled out when the moon had taken the sun's spot in the sky. There was no way around it. I had to walk the tightrope and tell the truth.

I got the exact reaction I had predicted. Orochi was irate. He didn't trust Zelos, had really never trusted him with me or with anything else. But I kept on urging. I had to go. The King himself sent me and sent Zelos to protect me. And he tried everything. Told me he was no good. Told me he'd take advantage of me. Even offered to go in his stead.

It was almost ironic how he tried to get me to believe all these things I knew were hyperboles. No one was closer to Zelos than I; no one on this planet (well...save for Sebastian. Maybe...) knew him like I did. There was nothing Orochi could do or say, especially now that he was treating me more like his daughter than his wife, to change my mind. I was going with Zelos, just the two of us, to see Lloyd, Colette, Genis and Raine in Iselia and that was that.

We met each other half way; he agreed to let me go without a fight if we left in the morning. I conceded. Zelos stayed the night with us, sleeping on a bedroll on the floor in the other room. It made my heart flutter, feeling so close to him but so far apart. I spent the night imaging what it would be like if I rolled out of bed with Orochi and went to lay with him, but I wouldn't dare risk it. There would be too much blandishment for me to keep control. I just loved him so...being near him, watching is chest rise and fall like I used to...it was sweeter than chocolate on the tongue...

All I could do now was dream about it.

As the first sliver of orange light tipped over the horizon, I threw myself from my bed, hurriedly dressed, and finished packing a backpack without disturbing Orochi once. I watched him for a moment while he slept. He stayed almost completely motionless, only a twitch or two on his lips or his eyebrows would break it.

I noticed something while watching him so closely, however.

Zelos was right; he was hard-faced.

My visage mimicked Orochi's. I didn't like hard-faced people.

Expecting Zelos to still be asleep, I crept into the main room of my house as silent as a mouse. But the bedroll was empty, practically untouched. I could see him laying on the steps of my front porch, watching the mist of morning fade as the sun flew. He was just as marvelous and mysterious in the dim morning as he was in the dim evening. It made me want to put him in a box, just so I could look at him.

"Morning," I yawned. "Did you sleep at all?"

"Yep," He got up slowly, stretching his arms and back. "You wanna head out?"

"Sure," I gave him a soft smile, walking ahead of him.

"Tell hubby goodbye?" The way Zelos looked at me when he said that turned me to butter in his hands. I could see the jeering tones and the amusement all in his ocean-eyes. He knew so much and yet nothing at all.

"He's asleep," I shrugged, grinding my teeth to keep from blushing. "Didn't want to wake him. Left him a note."

Zelos laughed, leisurely descending the steps, never once taking his eyes off of me. "Whatever you say, darlin'."

And we were off.

By foot it would take two days to get to Iselia, then we would stay for one day, then it would take two days to get back. Five days total. Two days shy of a week. And the majority of those days would be full with nothing but the two of us. I couldn't have asked for much more.

At the end of the first day, Zelos and I had walked for so long, talking about nothing and everything at the same time. The past, what we missed, who we missed, what our futures held.

That was when I felt as though I was being choked.

"King asked me to marry Hilda yesterday," He muttered, chuckling under his breath.

"WHAT? !"

"I know, right? Why in the world would _**he **_want _**me **_to marry his spoiled daughter? Haha..."

"Are...um..." I gestured meaninglessly with my hands. "You know..."

"You mean am I gonna do it?" Then he looked at me like I had just said the sky was purple. "I thought you might have already realized this, but she's not exactly my type."

"You have a type?" I winked.

"Yes, Sheena," He buried his face in his hands. "I thought you knew that."

"Could've fooled me."

"I haven't changed _**that**_ much."

"Says you."

"I thought you knew me better than that, baby. What I am on the outside isn't anything compared to the inside."

"Well with those four very different airheads following you around, I figured it didn't really mattered anymore. As long as it was female..."

He gave a heart laugh, cupping his forehead in one palm.

"I remember them!"

"Yeah, I bet you do..."

"I haven't seen them in ages, if it means anything to you."

It did.

"The blonde one was particularly bitchy, if you ask me..." I growled.

"Oh yeah, her. She always did act like her panties were on way to tight."

I snorted. "You'd be the one to know."

"Ouch. Now who's had the hearty bowl of Bitch-O's today?"

"Why shouldn't I be? A particularly nasty girl sleeping with my best friend-"

"We never slept together, Sheena."

I almost tripped over my own feet. "...Huh?"

He did it again-the grinning without being in a good mood.

"And here I thought you would be the one who understood. I've never slept with her or any of her friends."

I couldn't believe it. Relentlessly, I watched for a flicker of doubt it his eyes, a twitch of deceit. But there was nothing. Only honesty. That was when I really felt like a bitch. Hanging my head, I mumbled a sincere apology, and he accepted it in the form of a one armed hug.

After a pregnant silence, Zelos spoke.

"...What was her name...the blonde one..."

I giggled. "Seriously, Zelos? They only followed you around **_every minute of every day_**."

"Now you hush, it's on the tip of my tongue, I swear!"

"I can tell you her name-"

"Oh no, no! I got it...I think it was like...Mary or...Carrie or Sherry or..._**something**_ like that right?"

My lips contorted to keep the laughter from bursting from my lungs.

"It was Rachel, Zelos..."

His jaw hit the floor.

"...You are _**kidding **_me. What about the other one...the brunette?"

"Heather."

"What! No way. Okay, the purple-haired one, the-um..." He snapped his fingers more than ten times. "Sherry, right?"

My lungs started hurting. "Bridgett."

"You are lying to me!" Zelos lightly shoved me in the arm. "You are so joking just to make me feel bad!"

"Hey, I spoke with them on that day when I saw you at your house. You wanna ask them yourself?"

Zelos shot me an an annoyed look, but he was determined to be right about one of them, I could see it all over his face.

"The blue-haired one, then! Mary...or Carrie?"

I couldn't hold it in much longer, or I would explode and die.

"...Joan."

"...What the _**hell**_, Sheena!"

So I let it go, and he did to. And we laughed together like that for hours, something we hadn't done in a long, long time. I loved him so much, and the time we spent together only made me that love blossom like a field of yellow daffodils in spring.

At the end of the day, we had made it father than I had expected. In the distance, the all to familiar city of Palmacosta lay ahead, tall buildings and all. I wasn't too keen on staying there, but Zelos said it would be a good idea since it would be hard to travel by daylight. He was right.

"You know..." I mumbled, not quite sure how to say what I wanted to. "You never really answered my question."

"What...question?" I saw Zelos' shoulders fall as he walked in front of me. He had walked his limit.

"About Hilda. Are you...gonna marry her?"

"Princess?"

"Yeah..."

"I though I already answer that."

"Not **_really_**. You never said yes or no. You just said she wasn't your type."

"Isn't that pretty much a 'no'?"

"It's hinting it, but it's not really saying it."

"We're arguing semantics, hunny."

"Just answer the** _question_**."

He stopped in his tracks then, turning around and looking at me with his solemn face.

"Can I ask _**you**_ something?"

"Sure."

"Why did_** you**_ marry _**Orochi**_?"

"...What are you trying to get at?" I backed up from him.

"Well, you said that you had to get married to stay Chief, right?"

"Yes, I said that..."

"Why _**Orochi**_?"

"...I...I..love him..."

Zelos' right eyebrow quirked up.

"I don't really believe you, dear. The stuttering isn't helpful in the slightest, by the way."

My toes wiggled in my shoes. Why did he have to bring this up now? Why did I always have to be blindsided like this?

"Well, I-I'm telling the truth," I stuck my chin up high in the air so as not to garble my words."Don't worry about it."

And then he did something I never thought would happen again. At least, not in this lifetime.

Before I could react, breath or think, his strong hand snatched my wrist, and pulled me into him. Our bodies knocked against each other, and our lips connected. Our intensities became a yin and yang, but I couldn't tell which of us was which. His mouth was warm, inviting and electric. Naturally, I kissed him back. I kissed him back with all the love that I had for him. With every new oscillation, I felt as if we were to magnets, trying to come together but a hidden force kept us part. I wanted him. There was nothing in the world that was good enough to describe that want. It was a pure, bare thing. And I never wanted it to end...

Until the image of Orochi popped up in my mind. Like a weed amongst roses.

"STOP!" I tore my lips from his, even though it hurt to do so.

Zelos wiped his lips, catching his breath, keeping his strong gaze on me. "You don't love him, Sheena."

"Zelos, please-"

"**_Kiss_** me," He came closer to me again, stroking my neck with parted lips.

This didn't make sense. He didn't love me. Zelos told me so himself! Was he just trying to get me to admit I still loved him and not Orochi? Was it a jealously issue? Was this a game? I couldn't understand, but I knew for sure I couldn't give up, not yet.

"I-I-"

"You kissed me back. You **_want_** to kiss me. So do it," His lips found my ear. "_**Kiss me**_."

"I-I-I'm married, and-"

"But you don't love him." His face nestled in my hair. "You don't want to be with him."

"You don't get it!"

"I can see it all over you Sheena. Stop trying to hide it!"

"You...you can't kiss a **_married_**-"

Pain happened then. And lots of it. A horrible, tear jerking pain traveling from the start point on my back. My vision blurred for a millisecond-all black and dark green-and when it straightened out, Zelos had his sword drawn and pointed to a man in black, and I was looking up at him, not straight ahead. Under my fingers, I felt dirt and dead foliage. On my back, I felt stinging and blood.

"Too scared to pick a fight with a man?" Zelos spat. "How pathetic."

I vomited then. Something wasn't right. A stab in the back shouldn't be this bad...should it?

"Zelos..." I wheezed, but he never reacted.

Bracing myself for the pain, I forced myself to my feet, wobbling like a baby who didn't know how to stand. The man in black suddenly split into four, and they charged with the speed of a cheetah and the grace of a gazelle.

Two of them, the tallest and the fastest who had stabbed my back, connected their fits with my gut, and I was sent a good three feet backward until a tree caught me, driving wood into my open wound. I shrieked from pain, and my vision wouldn't remain stable as I fought for consciousness. I vomited again. What was going on?

Out of the corner of my eye, Zelos was doing quite well against the other two. One, who had eyes the color of limes, had begun to bleed from his shoulder.

"Sheena!" Zelos called out to me.

I opened my mouth to respond, but all I got was a damp sounding gurgle.

And the last thing I saw was Zelos horrified face, the other two men who had beaten me lunging right toward him.

And everything was black after that.

{{{{{{{{

With a groan, I pulled my eyelids apart to take in the woods, only to see the soft glow of the sun through white-curtained my fingers, I felt plush cotton and silk. Rocking my head side-to-side, I recognized the familiar puffiness of a freshly fluffed pillow. This was not the any woodland I had ever been to.

Bit by bit, I managed to get my upper half in a vertical position, and I took in the familiar scents and sounds of the Palmacosta inn. Underneath the floor, I could hear the clamor of pots and pans and footsteps swimming together like a school of fish. Palmacosta, the port city. I had made it out of that attack alive.

But I wouldn't be much longer if Zelos wasn't.

Whipping my head around, I saw him there, laying on his side, his back facing mine, and I started to cry. A long, ugly looking cut stretched from the top of his spine and ended only centimeters from the line of his trousers. The skin around the wound was red, and the wound itself had started to turn a very gross shade of yellow. He was hurt, the injury was probably infected.

My dominant hand flew to my back, finding only a whole in my clothing where a deep gash should be. How was that possible? I should have died from blood loss. I should be vomiting still...

And then I remembered.

Zelos knew how to heal. He had used his healing magic to save me, but had not doctored himself.

I loved him so much right then, and hated him at the same time.

I didn't waste a moment, I sped down the stairs and bought the best first aid kit I could find. It wasn't deep, but it was going to need work, and only the best would do.

"Are you okay?" He was conscious when I got back with the medicine. The color in his cheeks and nose had faded. I had never seen him so pale.

"Lay on your back," I demanded. He complied.

"Do you hurt?" Zelos whispered.

"No. Your healing worked."

"Thank God..." He coughed.

I trembled. "Who were those people...?"

"Highwaymen," Zelos coughed again. "The owner of this place said they've been at it for months. They've had martial arts training and they've got poison. That's why you threw up. They poisoned you."

"That explains a lot," I blew a strand of hair from my eyes as I dumped a handful of cotton balls into a small cup of ointment. "Why didn't you heal yourself."

"Took...took all my mana. I killed them...and-"

"All four of them?"

"Yeah. They kept going after you...I-I...promised I'd protect you."

Joy filled me when I realized Zelos was on his back. I was free to let the tears fall. And they did; in abundance. How foolish I had been to reject his protection; to believe that I could do everything myself. That was no sign of a leader.

Zelos whimpered only a smidgen when I cleaned his cut, but the rest of his energy was put into squeezing the bed sheets until his knuckles turned blue; the surprising part was that he had enough blood flowing though his veins to cut off circulation. I admired his attitude towards pain; I had always been the screaming, crying kind of person, but he was much more composed that I ever thought possible.

"You take pain well," I mused aloud.

"Yeah," He grunted. "Sure."

"No, I mean it. This stuff really burns and you're barely doing anything."

"Better physical than emotional." Zelos panted, and his distant eyes wouldn't meet mine after he said it. They were back in the past. Back in his childhood...

"I'm sorry," I murmured, feeling like the dirt that used to be under my fingernails."I shouldn't have asked."

As I finished cleaning and started to dress the wound, he finally was able to lock eyes with me, the ocean in them regaining some of its vivaciousness. "Heh, don't worry about it. It's the truth."

"What, that you deal with physical pain better than emotional pain?"

"I always have. On the outside I'm big and scary, but the inside me is a little girl who would hate to get her feelings hurt."

We both shared a laugh at that. He was right, at least about his outside being manly and his inside being sensitive. The latter I knew about when we were in our youth, but I didn't see the man until we matured. As I bandaged his middle, I gathered in all that man that had not changed. He would be eternally winsome.

He started to stand, but I put a firm, yet gentle hand on his forearm. "Don't even think about it, you need to stay-"

With his cat-like reflexes, Zelos nimbly caught my wrist, pulling me down on his bed. My back his the mattress with a loud **_thwamp_**, followed by the creaking of metal springs. How could he have all that strength with such a serious injury?

"What the **_hell_**-"

But when I looked up, Zelos' face was over mine, hands palm down on the bed beside my head, creating a blockade that was so easily destroyed if one had the will power. His eyes shined like pale sapphires, his lengthy crimson locks tumbled down, the tips of them teasing the pores on my face. His bare chest heaved as he inhaled and exhaled, the muscles under his skin rippling like a snake swimming over a lake. He was so beautiful. My rowdy heartbeat was the only noise in the room.

"Sheena," He breathed. "...Listen to me."

"What-"

"_**Listen**_."

I nodded. I wasn't sure of what else to do.

"Do you...remember that night? That night...when we separated?"

I nodded again. It was a night I couldn't forget.

"Sheena, I...I left you that night because..." His face got closer to mine, and his lips found my Adam's apple. He spoke the rest into my neck. "I left you because I was terrified. I had never loved someone the way I loved you..."

His heart thudded against my rib cage, and I managed to match my breathing with it to test how fast it was going. I had to stop because I wasn't getting enough air.

"...Zelos..."

"I just wanted you to be mine," he lifted his head from my neck pressed his mouth to my forehead in a peck. It was desperate kind of kiss. Yearning. And hopeful. "And because of that damned title that I had to bear...I had to let you go..."

Then his lips were on mine, begging me to surrender. I could hear them whispering as we kissed, waiting patiently for my submission; it was, however, submission that would never come. I had a dam of decency blocking the waters of my inner most wishes. There were no cracks or holes. Just solid and unyielding. Like me.

Or at least like I pretended to be.

"But I'm not the Chosen anymore. I'm free to live. To...to love..."

Until he said it. He said the one thing that I had always wanted but secretly hoped never to hear again.

Because it was the foundation that kept that dam from breaking.

"I want you to be mine again..."

The dam shattered. Water filled my lungs, my heart, my cells. My whole body flooded. I was drowning from the inside. I had held it for so long, only for it to be decimated in a matter of seconds. With such a small phrase.

And no matter what happened, I had been right from the beginning. It was too late.

"**_You _**are why I won't marry the Princess..."

_'...Stay away...' _

"I want us to be what we were before..."

_'...from my heart...' _

"I dream about you...every night..."

_'...because even though I want to give it to you...' _

"...You've always been my only..."

_'...I can't...' _

"...And I won't be with anyone else but you..."

_'..and it makes me feel worse...'_

_**I was a stone.**_

_**And he was a cavern.**_

_**A creel.**_

_**Full of weeds, full of thoughts, full of chains.**_

"I'm still in love with you, Sheena Fujibayashi..."


	15. Wings

Hello, ello there! Yeah. This has taken me a whole to actually get out, but here it is! This actually isn't a continuation of the story so far, just a flashback that I wanted to include in the story that Sheena is currently having. It's very recognizable; you see it by the first line of the actual chapter. I haven't published in a while; I blame college! But I'm not going to let it stop me from doing something that I love. SO, here's the newest chapter; hope you enjoy it! Thanks a ton to Faux Promises for all the pep talks. She's just too amazing for words. :)

* * *

_Chapter Fourteen: Wings _

* * *

_'...Lloyd...good luck...' _

I hit the blackness like jumping into a still body of water.

Shadows devoured every inch of me, turning my skin an odd shade of lavender. The circle of light was getting smaller and smaller, but I didn't know why. I couldn't feel anything. It was as if my whole body had been frozen in ice, and all my nerve endings had died with the chill. Was I falling? I felt no wind. I felt nothing. Tendrils of Darkness swirled about in my eyes; black fire swallowing my vision. I was being eaten alive by Death himself; death in an incorporeal form.

That one small sliver of light kept fading until it had become the size of a star in the sky, and I was able to come to the conclusion that I was falling. The black wisps had been stray strands of my hair whipping about my face. The numbness had been caused by the Mach ten winds flowing upward from the unseen abyss. My breathing wasn't right; the inhales were too few and far between. I could feel my heart's abnormal thumping on my fingertips. A beating heart? No. My heart was gone. This was no heart. Just a throbbing to let me know I wasn't dead yet. But I was no foolish girl.

I was fully aware I was dying.

I was in trouble. I needed a hero, but I had tried to do that, and now look where I was. This was it for me.

I couldn't think about all the things that I had not done in my young life. I couldn't think about the things I had so badly wanted to tell people before I crossed that gate, but would never get the chance to. But thinking about the Darkness and the Darkness alone would drive me insane. I had nowhere else to run.

But what was there else to live for? Hadn't I wanted this just a few moments ago, when my heart had literally turned its back on me, walking away with the force I was attempting to destroy? Even Lloyd wasn't enough to keep me longing for life. Life was that sweeping red hair. Life was that laugh that was softer than cotton or silk. Life was those two blue sapphires he called eyes. Life was with **him. **And now he was gone. **Life was gone. **And all Darkness could engulf was simply a hollow shell of what I once was. **  
**

And all I had left was this moment; this moment filled with blackness and agony.

Now, and the past.

Mentally waving my white flag, I let the Darkness take me, consume me, and I felt the whites of my eyes become sullied by the Darkness's unloving fronds.

With no other choice, I would hide within my sweetest memories.

The memories of a story that Orochi once told me; the story of a girl who had been rescued, just like I wanted to be...

{{{{{{{{{{

_ Dusk had painted the sky with her smoky orange and red fingertips as Orochi, Kuchinawa and Sheena returned home from our romp in the heart of the Mizuhoan woodlands. The day had been spent with games of tag and hide-and-seek by the river, the same river where the older women of Mizuho would wash clothes and talk every week or so. _

_ Orochi had been about twelve at the time, and Sheena and Kuchinawa had just turned ten; both if them were smart, but naive as the day was long. The brothers had invited her to spend the night with them that evening, and they made the most of it. The Azumi's mother, a soft eyed woman, sat the three children around a warm fire with hot milk with honey and fried bananas. The first time Sheena had fried bananas, she was leary of their appearence, but they were much sweeter than she had imagined. _

_ The rest of the night was spent with stories, one in particular that Sheena always asked Orochi to tell whenever she slept at the Azumi household, but he never would. _

_ "Tell another story, Orochi! Please, please, please, please?" _

_ He laughed after he swallowed his seventh banana piece. _

_ "You really want to hear a story, Sheena?" _

_ "Oh yes!" Sheena's eyelashes fluttered. "Tell the love story!" _

_ "Oh, love story? Hmm. Well, I think I can—" _

_ "I hate that story!" Kuchinawa proded. "Love stories are dumb." _

_ "Are not!" I snapped. _

_ "Are so!" He quipped, making faces to further rankle the dark haired girl. _

_ "Kuchinawa," Orochi bellowed. Even at twelve, his face could be harder than stone. "be nice to our guest. If Sheena wants to hear the story, then let her." _

_ The grumbling little Kuchinawa folded his arms and gathered a generous handful of bananas and shoved them in his mouth, chewing with swollen cheeks and puffed lips. _

_ "Once upon a time," Orochi began, his eyes sparkling from the joy of weaving a fairy-tale for his closest friends. "There was a beautiful girl that was born from a flower. A nice old woman found her, gave her a home, and named her Thumbelina, for she was only the size of a thumb." _

_ "Wait!" Sheena squeaked, her round eyes widening. "She was only the size of a thumb._

_ "She was."_

_ "Wow…" She breathed, holding her own thumb aloft for her two friends to see. She examined it carefully, like she would a wounded animal, and imagined herself as tall as her own appendage. _

_ Not long after, her cheeks went pink. _

_ "Love stories are gross!" Kuchinawa barked, sticking out his tongue right beside Sheena's ear. _

_ "Hush!" She shoved her hand in his face, causing him to topple over, landing with a hard _thump_ on his back. Orochi, tickled from his brother's mishap, did his best to choke his laughter and resumed the story. _

"_Anyway, one night while Thumbelina sleeps, she gets spied on by an ugly toad, and The Toad falls in love with her. He loves her so much, that he decided to kidnap her and make him marry her!" _

"_What?" Sheena's hands met with her pink cheeks, dumbfounded. "Gross!" _

"_That's how the story goes," Orochi nodded gravely. "But it gets even worse. Thumbelina is able to run away from The Toad, but as soon as she's free, a clever Beetle decided to take her away to impress his friends." _

"_Orochi, what does clever mean?" Sheena asked, her eyes averting his face. She hated feeling stupid in front of her best friends. _

"_I think it means he lives on one of those green patches that are outside the gate." _

"_Those are _clovers, _Kuchinawa." Orochi's eyes narrowed. _

_Sheena giggled, inwardly glad she wasn't the only one who didn't know. _

_Kuchinawa just rolled his eyes, stuffing a spoonful of bananas into his maw. "Whatever!"_

"_So what happens next!" _

"_After Thumbelina's meets The Beetle's friends, they tell The Beetle that they don't like her, so the Beetle and his friends leave her alone out in the winter." _

_Sheena's face scrunched in displeasure "That's so mean! I wouldn't do that to her." _

"_Neither would I," piped up Kuchinawa, who had his face turned to Orochi, a frown shaping his lips. _

"_I thought you didn't wanna hear the story," Sheena grinned. _

"_Sh-shut up!" _

"_Let's move on," Orochi said calmly, clearing his throat. "Thumbelina wandered in the cold for a long time, getting lost and passing out from all of her travels. But one day, a Field Mouse finds her in the snow and rescues her. _

"_Ewwwww!" Sheena shook her head violently. "Mice are all-all_ crawly_! Why would she go with a mouse?" _

"_She was lost _and _freezing! Wouldn't _you _go with the person that tried to help you?" _

"_Not if they were a _mouse_!" _

"_You would _so!_" Kuchinawa chortled, swallowing a gulp of milk and honey. _

"_Nuh-uh! Not by a _mouse! _Yuck!" _

_Slowly, and impish grin formed on Kuchinawa's chubby face. "Better not look under your bed tonight…" _

"_What did you say?" Sheena shouted, leaping to her feet, hands contorted into fists. _

"_Hey!" Orochi snapped, pulling on Sheena's arm in a gesture to get her to sit. "I'm not gonna finish this story if you two can't get along.' _

"_Fine," the two said in unison, each refusing to look at the other. _

"_Now…The Mouse ouse takes Thumbelina back to her home, and in exchange for saving her, she asks Thumbelina to do some chores for her." _

"_Sheena was right," Kuchinawa's voice became gruff. "Ew." _

"_Now I _know _I'm never asking a mouse for help." _

"_Oh, but it gets worse than chores," Orochi's voice took an ill-omened tone. "The Mouse tells Thumbelina that she should marry a Mole that happens to be her neighbor." _

"_That's just so nasty!" Sheena cupped a hand over her mouth to insinuate nausea. "A Toad and a Mole?" _

"_How about you marry the _mouse _Sheena?" Kuchinawa's mischievousness got the better of him. _

"_No way! Plus, the mouse is a _girl_, stupid!" _

"_Don't call me stupid, you jerk!" _

"_Both of you shut up!" Orochi slammed a hand on the floor to silence them, Kuchinawa and Sheena jumping at the sudden crash. "Do you wanna hear this story or not?" _

"_No," Kuchinawa snorted. _

"_I do," Sheena smiled timidly at Orochi. "What does she do?" _

"_Thumbelina doesn't want to marry the Mole, of course," Orochi winked at her. "So she asks a Swallow to take her as far away from the Mouse and the Mole as possible, and he agrees. _

"_Sounds like she should have found that swallow in the first place," Kuchinawa groaned, idly stirring his milk with a spoon. _

"_She probably didn't know him then," Sheena made a sensible reply, trying her best to avoid any further conflict with her young friend. _

"_That never stopped her before. She didn't know that Beetle or that Mouse!" _

"_The mouse saved her! She didn't ask her too!" Sheena lost her composure. _

"_That's not important. Let's finish the story." _

_At the sound of "story" and "finish" in the same sentence, Sheena and Kuchinawa become still, not a sound erupting from either of them. Please with the reaction, Orochi drew another breath and continued. _

"_The swallow sets Thumbelina in a beautiful field of flowers, where the fairies are supposed to live." _

"_Ooooh," Sheena sighed. _

"_You're such a girl," Kuchinawa mumbles, his eyes shifting quickly between her and the window of the bedroom he shared with his brother. _

"_I am a girl!" _

"_A _girly _girl." _

"_Hey!" _

"_Kuchinawa, one more instigating word out of you, and you're sleeping _outside_!" _

_Kuchinawa's lips pursed in frustration; Sheena's mouth quirked in victory. _

"_While walking through the flowers, Thumbelina meets the Prince of The Fairies, and instantly falls in love with him." _

"_Ohh! How romantic," Sheena sighed, letting her eyes comb upward as she imagined Thumbelina and the Prince. "What does he look like?" _

"_Um, I don't really know," Orochi shifted in his seat. "But, I do know that the Prince is supposed to have very beautiful golden wings…" _

"…Sheena! I'm coming for you!"

I heard a voice; a voice that wasn't in my head. A pleading voice. A voice I knew. But it couldn't be. It was just me and Darkness now.

"_Golden wings…" Sheena mused. _

"_Yep," Orochi beams. "And the Prince falls in love with Thumbelina too. He asks her to marry him, and she says yes." _

"_Asking is a lot better than kidnapping." Sheena winked at Orochi. _

"_You betcha," He retorted. "After they get married, Thumbelina becomes a princess, and the magical fairies give her wings of her own." _

"You're going to be OK, Sheena! Just keep listening to my voice! I promise!"

No. No one was there. Darkness lies.

"_She went through so much," Sheena said sadly, pushing her lips to the side. _

"_She did," Orochi said in a tone that was tender, placing a hand on her shoulder. "But in the end, she got what she wanted. And she married a Fairy Prince. And because he had wings, she was able to have wings too!" _

"Don't you **dare** give up on me, Sheena! I'm coming to get you! I'm here! I'm here and I'm never leaving you!"

"_I think Thumbelina just wanted someone to think of her, you know?" Sheena stood, empowered by her statement. "All the animals were so mean. The toad wanted to marry her even though she didn't like him, the beetle abandoned her, and the field mouse, even though her intentions were good, was trying to make her do something she didn't even want to do! Didn't anyone ever think about what she'd rather do?"_

"_The Fairy Prince was the only one really concerned about what Thumbelina really wanted," Orochi replied. "That's how you can tell he really loved her. He just wanted her safe and happy. So he was willing to do what it took to rescue her…_

I felt hands on the back of my knees, between my shoulder blades, their feather light touch soothing and warm. Light pulsed from them, weaving into my skin; evaporating the gloomy Darkness that had invaded my soul. They were comforting; they were there to tell me that no matter what I felt, that I was safe. I was secure. I was going to live and find a way out of the Darkness. But how could I believe it? How could I come back when my heart was smashed to pieces?

"…_You're out there…aren't you?" _

"I've got you now Sheena," The Light cooed.

"…_Can you hear my pleading…?" _

"You can open your eyes."

"…_I don't want to marry The Toad…" _

My eyes, unbidden, cracked, but only a little. After all that time in the Darkness, the Light was much too bright. All I could see was painful white.

"…_The Beetle has forgotten me…" _

"Please open your eyes. Let me know you're all right…"

"…_My words fall on The Mouse's deaf ears…" _

I decided to obey; my eyes opened. It took long beats, but they finally are able to focus on the jumbled world around me. I was back in the chasm; the place I'd been before the Darkness stole me away. So I looked for the Light.

"…_Won't you come save me now?" _

Then I saw him. I saw my life flashing right before my eyes. I saw the Darkness shriveling around him, recoiling at the aura of goodness that radiated from him like intense heat on a dry summer day. I saw that, in his arms, I was lighter than a feather; a gem of love that he had pulled from the dirt and grime that no one else wanted to touch.

And that's when I saw **them.**

"_My Prince with Wings of Gold…_"


	16. I Object

Hello, ello everybody! Wow, it's been six days since I updated, and this story is **still** the most recently updated thing here. :/ It just lauds my belief that we just need more Sheelos here guys! There's been such a lacking of it (I haven't exactly helped either, and I've scolded myself for it), and I hope that there will be more writers out there to post more awesome stories. :) This isn't my last one because I want to help increase the Sheelos community. It's the least I could do. They're so epic. XD

This story is almost done! EEEE! So excited! It's all uphill from here guys. I swear. They're really intense chapters, and I hope they do not disappoint. The next chapter, I'll also be posting the playlist for this story on my profile, just cause I wanted to share that with everyone who read.

I'm so grateful to everyone who's read this story so far. I love you guys! The readers keep it all going.

Please enjoy this chapter, the First of the Final Three! Thanks a ton!

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_Chapter Fifteen: I Object_

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Lost in those eyes, I swore I could hear the familiar splash and crash of waves pounding against the shore. His desire for love, like the ocean, was uncontrollable, yet strangely beautiful; strange because it was difficult to fully grasp how it worked. Letting my gaze widen, so as not to put all of my attention on his eyes, I took in the state of his visage. His cheeks were sallow; a faint yellow accenting them. He had lost so much blood. Dark circles were blotted under his eyes, and his lips were dry. The Zelos that he loved to sport would have swooned from the state of his beauty, but this Zelos, the one from my memories, didn't care. His objective was to confess. He didn't care about where he was, what he looked like, or what my response might be.

He just had to tell me. Like it was eating him alive to keep it a secret for any longer.

Delicately, so as not to disturb the wounds I had wrapped, I sat up. Like the ebb and flow of the tide, as I moved forward, he sunk back, but his loving gaze remained strong.

"Zelos," I breathed, trying to make sure there was a look of pity on my face instead of joy. "It's—"

"I know," Zelos grinned, putting a hand up in surrender. "It's too late. It's useless. Blah, blah blah—"

I crossed my arms over my chest, fuming with the thought that he knew me too well.

"You seem so blasé about this confession, don't you think? How am I supposed to believe it?"

Zelos inclined an eyebrow, an impish grin forming on his lips. He responded with a voice that was low, almost a whisper, leaning in closer. The hairs on the back of my neck, and my lips tingled with the thought of his kiss. "That's a bold statement, darling. I'm almost tempted to prove you wrong…"

I swallowed. Unfortunately for me, the sound was rather perceptible; there was nothing but quiet after his kittenish threat. I was shrinking under his enticing eyes; eyes that willed me to forgo my creed for my passions. But I fought with everything inside of me to remember what I had promised; the horrible sting that infidelity would bring.

But those beguiling eyes. His sweet whispers. They were powerful.

His face inched towards mine. I was frozen; ice, and he was fire.

"Kiss me," his voice was rough, urgent.

"…I can't…" my voice cracked.

"But you want to, don't you?" His forehead met mine.

Zelos's lips, which had appeared to be desiccated, were much pinker and moist-looking now that he had closed the proximity between us. One soft hand clutched mine, and slowly he brought it to his mouth, caressing his lips over my knuckles with infinite tenderness.

"I-I'm…married…" I choked, biting my lips to keep from smiling at the affection he had begun to showing me.

"But you don't love him!" Zelos huffed. He backed away from me, angrily putting his hands to his face, shaking his head, his hair swishing back and forth, tickling the bandage on his back.

I looked away. I couldn't ever say it if I kept my eyes on him.

"…Yes, I do…"

Zelos's head shot up, and he laughed bitterly.

"Liar," He turned to me, his facial expression undemanding, but his voice grave.

"Stop saying that," I snorted, standing up. Why was I so angry? Isn't this what I wanted: Zelos to love me like he did before? And it was happening now. I knew I wasn't dreaming, and yet I continued to push it away. Was I really that much of a doctrinaire?

But that wasn't it. It wasn't that I didn't love Zelos. It was my respect for Orochi; my mean to uphold my honor as well as his own. And there wasn't anything wrong with that. Those morals would not be compromised, Zelos Wilder or not. Zelos was worth my life, but he wasn't worth squandering my decency.

Zelos, however, wasn't trying to get me to do such a thing.

No, he was only trying to get me to lay it on the line.

That was something I couldn't afford. Not anymore.

"But I'm right, aren't I?" he mumbled, and I sat down on my own bed, keeping my eyes glued to the front of the wall, tracing the damask pattern on the wall until every detail became engraved in my mind.

I didn't answer him.

I heard his feet as he got closer to me, and, eventually, I caught the sight of red just out of my peripheral vision. An ungloved hand cupped one side of my face, the suppleness of his fingertips sending electric shocks down my neck and arms. I don't know why, but I twisted my head back to look at him again, all the love in the world swirling in those ocean eyes of his. I did my best to coerce myself out of the trap, but I was locked in place. No magic words or special signs could set me free.

"I know you don't love him, Sheena." He said evenly.

"You don't know anything," I snapped, gritting my teeth.

"Oh, yes, I do. I'm not a fool."

" Not a fool. Yeah, right. What makes you so sure?"

His eyes narrowed; his loving gawk turning into a peeved glower.

"Because you aren't sleeping with him."

I shoved his hand away, all of my wrath flowing into the palm that I used. I hated how he knew me. It made me feel naked and exposed all the time.

"Typical of you, Zelos. It's not legitimate unless **sex** is involved, right?"

But this time, it was Zelos's fury that lashed out.

"You don't know a **damn thing,** Sheena!" Zelos stood, the ocean in his eyes becoming a hateful maelstrom.

"Oh, please! Just because I don't sleep with—"

"I haven't **slept **with** anyone**!"

My throat began to close up.

"Wh-wha—"

"You want the truth, there it is! Happy now?" He spun away from me, stalking to the other side of the room. He went towards a small square table holding flowers, and he hung his head, grasping its sides for support. The muscles on his arms and shoulder blades flexed and relaxed; he was trying to calm down.

"I never slept with **anyone**…" Zelos continued, but it sounded to me like he was fighting of cries. "…because I don't love **anyone **the way I love you."

I sat back on my bed.

He looked up at me, two tears streaked across his face, and he scoffed, smiling in that warm way he always did when he was happy. But I could only gape. I probably had the expression of a dead fish.

"I'm smart enough to know love when I see it," Zelos expounded. "I know the yearnings that come from love, just like you do. You cannot love another person without wanting to prove it. Without wanting to give them what you can never give to anyone else."

Not a sound came from me. How could I respond? There was nothing I could say that would deter him; nothing that would keep him from speaking what he felt.

At a snail's pace, he moved back in my direction, sitting straight in front of me, his eyes no longer holding love, anger or sadness, but something much stronger.

Fortitude.

"Sheena, I know you. I know you so well that I know you can't **stand it**."

_'…Damn…'_

"And I know how fearless you are," Zelos took my hand, placing it on his own cheek. It was hot, smooth and slightly damp, but I adored the feeling of his skin. His face was no longer wan, but had regained that normal pinkish glow. Even though the dark circles lingered, his lips were smooth once more. Kissable. Delicious.

"You aren't afraid of love. You embrace it, Sheena. It's the nature of your being. I've been your lover once, and I've haven't forgotten the way you love. I'll remember it always. And because of that memory I cling to, there's no doubt in my mind that you do not love Orochi. That you never have, and you never will."

He closed the gap between us, and my eyelids drooped. Passion had made it difficult to keep them open. I could feel his breath on my face; it smelled sweet, like butterscotch and caramel. The taste of his lips had to be the same.

"I know you don't love him because of the way you deny it. The way you push me away. The way you refuse to make love with him. You can change your mind, you can say anything, but you can never change what's inside your heart. And I know the truth that your heart wants you to tell."

"…_I will love you forever…"_

He was even closer now, so close that I could hear his heartbeat.

_"…No matter what happens…" _

"You love me still…"

_"…I'll be there…" _

"…You want me…"

_"…Distance couldn't tear us apart…" _

"Just like I love you…"

_"…It will keep us closer…" _

"Just like I want you…"

_"…because true love waits…" _

"…Zelos…" I whispered, but it was much too soft to be a whisper.

_"…and it never surrenders…" _

Zelos's tempting lips caressed my chin.

And then I felt him backed away.

The lids of my eyes crawled open, and I saw him back at the other end of my bed, his arms folded across the sinewy muscles of his chest, a look that instantly reminded me of the Vice Chief's business façade.

"…Why did you stop?" I blurted.

He grinned. He was back to normal.

"What, did you think I was about to **force myself **on a married woman?"

"Don't give me that! You kissed me moments after I got married!"

"But you didn't tell me not to, did you?"

Red flooded my face; I pursed my lips.

"Don't get me wrong, Sheena," He shrugged. How could he be so serious and so nonchalant in mere seconds? "There's nothing more I'd like to do right now then to make you mine, but I'm not as…decadent…as you'd like to think. I have a code of my own."

By my constitution, I grabbed my left shoulder with my right hand; a gesture to shield myself from not only embarrassment, but protection from accidental revelation of my true feelings through a slip; I didn't tell Zelos that I didn't want him to touch me, kiss me, or that I loved Orochi and not him. I had asked him why he had stopped.

And nothing more.

My heart was working double time.

"What do you mean…?" I pushed my face to the floor.

"Look at me," He didn't demand, but he didn't ask either.

And I did. And his face was bedecked with a smile of adoration…and archness.

"Hurting you…" Zelos shook his head. "I can't even fathom it. I've done it too much, and I've sworn to never hurt you again, as long as I have something to do with it. I won't do anything to you that you wouldn't want me to. As much as you would like for me to deny it, I'm no philanderer. If you don't want me to kiss you, I won't. No means no."

I sighed, and it came out tatty. But as soon as I did, he raised one finger.

"However," Zelos briefly ran his tongue over those kittenish lips, a look of satisfaction perking his countenance. "That does not mean I won't get you to admit that **you want to**."

"You're so sure of yourself," I snorted, my teeth grinding the insides of my cheeks.

"Absolutely not," He straightened himself. "All my faith lies in you, Sheena. As much as I'd like to, I can't blindly charge into Mizuho and tell everyone what you and I already know—that you and I are still in love, I have to wait for you to either give me the signal, or for you to do said charging on your own."

"When did I ever say that I loved **you**!" I spat, a two-faced assertion.

"**You** did, darling," His expression held an intense firmness. He really believed what he was saying.

"When? Those words never crossed my lips, and, I swear, if you say that they did, you are a **DAMNED LIAR **and I will—"

"You didn't say it with your voice," Zelos' smile fainted, his lips showing a different kind of emotion: desire. In by inch, Zelos moved back towards me, plump lips and all. Alarmed, not wanting to fall victim to his ploy afresh, I lifted my hand, prepared to strike, but before I could react, my wrist was locked in his grip, and he held my hand down by my side, the whirling azure vortex that was his eyes paralyzing every muscle in my body.

"You're **saying it now**. With your eyes. They can't look away from me. You're trembling…because that desire you're feeling, that craving to let go and let me kiss you, is scaring you. You still remember the feel of my lips on yours when you let me kiss you on your wedding day, and you don't want to…"

The vision of Zelos became blurred, and it took me a minute to realize I had begun to soundlessly cry. I couldn't even feel the tears streaming down my face. I'd gone numb.

He knew everything; all of those secrets I had…I'd failed to hide.

"You think that none of it matters anymore, this love you feel for me. But there's something you don't know, Sheena…"

This time, he took both of my hands…and folded one over then other, placing them directly on his exposed chest, over his rapidly beating heart. He closed his eyes, sighing, I believed, at the feel of my heated hands on his clammy chest, but I could have been wrong. He could have been sighing because, deep down, he knew that our chances of being together were less than slim to none, but he couldn't stop now. Whatever he had to say had to be said, or he'd surely die.

"You and I…we're like the sun and the moon…"

My ears rung, a vehement torrent, and I winced at the stinging.

_ "Orochi..." I mumbled distantly._

"_Yes?" was his stern reply._

"_Do you...do you think that the dawn and the twilight like each other?"_

"Maybe we aren't meant…"

"_Sheena..." Orochi said to me affectionately, yet it wasn't in a tender way. It was more along the lines of pity. "The—ah... they are times of the day, so...so..."_

"…to be together **now**…"

_He had not produced the answer I had wished to hear. _

"…but, maybe, one day…"

'_If I was the twilight...'_

"…we will eclipse…"

_'…Zelos was my dawn…' _

And he held me fast, and I heard sobbing.

But it wasn't Zelos who was crying.

His eyes weren't wet.

{{{{{{{{

Time really didn't exist while Zelos and I held each other, both crying, grieving for what we'd lost; for how broken and unfixable we were. But what else were we supposed to do? We couldn't love each other the way we wanted; the way we should. Zelos might have held on to a dim wisp of hope, but mine had died the moment I knew Orochi and I were publicly entwined as husband and wife.

Even so, living on without Zelos in my life wasn't something I could do. Life didn't feel right without his smile, is sea of a stare, the peel of his laughter. Without it, I might as well have been deaf, blind and dumb; a soul trapped in an unserviceable body. A sickening feeling roiling in my gut, I came to the realization that I'd rather be brain dead then continue life deprived of the one man I truly loved; among the man I couldn't ever hope to love.

After Palmacosta, it took Zelos and I another three days to reach it back to Iselia, and it was drizzly most of the time. Zelos eventually had to ditch his bandage, as it was losing it's adhesive in the rain. We didn't really verbally communicate the rest of the way there, but we often sent each other eye indicators. Most of them along the lines of, _'I love you, so everything is going to be all right.' _I appreciated his, for they were much more frank than mine. I was still much too timid to fully admit my feelings. Zelos did know though, because I hadn't denied his accusations.

Iselia was just as beautiful as I remembered. Wildflowers waved in the breeze to greet us, and Lloyd hadn't been more happy to see us. We were saddened to learn that Genis and Raine had left the day before at the request of some half-elven researchers that lived in Sybak, but Colette had stayed behind with Lloyd. I wasn't really surprised at that. The two of them didn't really go anywhere without each other.

It was difficult for me to watch them; knowing that they loved each other so and that they were free to express it. It just wasn't fair to Zelos and me. It wasn't hard for me to see that it bothered him too. Often, he couldn't sit in the same room as me when Lloyd and Colette would hold hands or say "I love you" to each other. He'd feign a headache, complain about the mustiness of the rooms and go on a walk, or just get up and leave with no excuse at all.

After two days, we left Iselia, the King's letter in Lloyd's hand. The couple insisted walking us back to Palmacosta (especially after Zelos blabbed about the poison wielding bandits), but we politely declined. Zelos teased Lloyd before embracing him, telling him he thought of him often and that he would be visiting again soon. He did the same with Colette, save for kissing her hand with the disposition of a gentleman. I didn't bother with petty jealously. Colette wanted no other but Lloyd.

I hugged the both of them, making the same promise as Zelos to visit again soon. They asked a few questions about my marriage to Orochi, and I answered them as curtly as possible. Zelos, startlingly, did not interject through the entire abrupt conversation. It made me curious as to why he would want to hear me answer their queries, but I eventually assumed he was just as curious as they were. Anytime **he'd** asked me about my marriage, I'd artfully dodged them. At least, that was the reason that made the most sense to me.

Two more days passed, one with rain and one with shine, and we arrived to Palmacosta earlier than we'd expected. We were still a day off schedule because of the attack when we first left, but Zelos and I didn't really care. Conveniently, it gave us more time to spend with each other. We didn't say that out loud, of course, but we knew well enough that that was what the other wanted.

The room was rented, and we hurried to it, only to discover it was the same room we had when we'd first arrived here on this adventure. Zelos quickly threw down his things and lay on the bed that he'd chosen the first time, not bothering to take off his shoes or any of his needless garments. I, in contrast, kept my feet planted at the doorway, staring at him, wishing to crawl in beside him.

Minutes that felt like hours passed. Zelos opened his eyes, saw me stationary, and motioned to his side. Immediately, I shut the door, dropped my bag by jamb, and placed myself on his mattress. He turned to lie on his side so that I had room, and I did the same. Pulling the covers over us, Zelos hummed a lullaby under his breath, settling back into his position. We held each other for a long time, long enough so that the white rays of the moon flooded our room through the rift between the curtains. Sometime between then, he'd stopped humming, and the only sound that filled the room was our breathing.

"Does he know?" Zelos whispered into my ear, the arm that was wrapped around my waist pulling me closer.

"What do you mean?" I croaked.

"Orochi. Does he know…how you feel? About me? About the two of you?"

Tears bit my lashes. Deep inside him, I had a hunch that Orochi knew the truth about are marriage—that I had done it simply because of the ordained regulations for Mizuho's chief. But even when I clumsily lied to him about why I wasn't ready to sleep with him, he had seemed to accept the justification as true. Nevertheless, I'd felt the hurt flowing out of him when I couldn't meet his eyes. So my suspicion wasn't completely debunked.

Zelos, on the other hand; I was certain he had no idea of that.

"…He doesn't know…about you…"

Zelos chuckled sardonically. "Could've fooled me. The way he follows your footsteps when I'm around, like a cat stalking a mouse…"

I shook my head. "He's never trusted you. You know that."

"Fair enough. But I still think he feels threatened by me," Zelos flipped his hair out of his eyes, winking at me in the way that I cherished. "I mean, how could he not? On the Scale of Manliness, he's a five, and I'm, like, a ten-**thousand.** At **least**."

I did my best to laugh, but it came out as a half-giggle, half-sob.

"Does anyone else know…how you feel about me?" I ventured, carefully running my fingers over the black undershirt that poked out between the folds of his pink vest. He'd been shirtless during our last conversation; our argument/confession that had left me weeping.

"Sebastian, but he's telepathic, so I consider that cheating."

"He's not **telepathic**. He just knows you well."

"Which is cheating."

"Then you've been cheating this whole time with me."

"So?"

"**So **you just said cheating doesn't count!"

"If you remember correctly, my love, I said cheating doesn't count with **Sebastian**." He waggled those luminescent red brows.

I rolled my eyes, loving every minute of our customary, witty banter.

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Sure it does. I'm like Sebastian's nephew or something. You're the object of my affection. That's the loophole. **I'm **not the object of his affection, therefore, by law, it's officially cheating."

At the sound of that phrase, the flashback that had played in my mind not too long ago fleetingly flashed in my mind's eye. With a newfound eagerness, I looked up at Zelos, who was lying comfortably beside me, one hand idly fumbling with a lock of my hair.

"Zelos. Sebastian. Did he…did he ever tell you about…well…being in love wi—"

"With my mother?" Zelos' face softened, and, for a millisecond, I was sure that he was about to cry.

"Ye-yeah…"

Fondly, Zelos kissed my forehead, smiling at me as though I were a child who'd just recited their ABC's for the first time.

"He did. When I was older, and he was raising me, he told me everything that he felt and that my mother did."

I nodded. That sounded like Sebastian to me.

"Honestly," Zelos heaved a sigh, rolling onto his back. He never once grimaced from the pain, so I figured that the wound was healing. "I think that he would have been better for her than my old man, but there's not much I can do about it at this point. Whatever will be right?"

The urge to hear a better account about his reaction towards his mother's attempt at trying to kill him struck my heart, but pushing the subject that was still tender to the redheaded noble would have made me feel as if I were trying to meddle, so I let that one hang. If he didn't tell me now, he'd explicate in due course.

"Bull," I rested my head on his chest, letting the rhythm of its rise and fall lull me into a state between wake and slumber. "If you really felt that way, you'd let me go."

"…I'd rather die than let you go…"

I bit my lip as hard as my teeth would allow without drawing blood to keep the sobs from returning.

I tilted my head towards him, and he was smiling, as though I already belonged to him.

And, in a way, I did.

"Why do you love me, Zelos?" I found myself saying.

"Hm," Zelos' oceanic stare shifted from me to the ceiling, scanning the dark silhouettes of the afternoon sun as though reading the answer to my question. "Because…you were so different. You treated me like a regular human being. I've never really had that from anyone, at least until I met Lloyd and the band. You were the first person who treated me like Zelos Wilder. Not like a Chosen. And then, after spending time with you, I found out that you were beautiful, intelligent, brave, and everyone loved you for who you were; something I always wanted. You were, and still are, the most perfect thing I've ever found in this world. Which I found sweetly ironic, since those where the shoes that I was intended to wear."

I felt like a school girl again; the thought of his childish face beaming at me set my heart fluttering. I wasn't quite sure how to answer but with a three letter phrase.

Because if I didn't say it now, when I truly longed to and had the courage to do so, I'd never say it again.

"I…love you…"

Like a knife through the heart, a huge load flung itself from my shoulders. It was the first time I'd said, the first time he'd heard it, in years. It was like the admission of a terrible sin that I'd finally been able to get off my chest, and it was sweeter than freedom. It was happiness. Nothing had ever felt so right in my entire life.

When the sentence flew out into the open, Zelos flung himself from his back on to his side, returning to his original position. One of his bare hands rested itself on my cheek, while the other one held my chin, the thumb tracing my lips as though they were a coveted prize that only he was able to own.

"I've waited for so long to hear it…"

"I feel horrible, Zelos," I said, warbling. "How can I be married to a man and be in love with another?"

"Apparently it's possible."

"I know it's possible, but how could I have ever let this happen? It's all my fault. Orochi knows, even if he doesn't want to admit it, and it's hurting him. I feel like such a whor—"

"Don't you dare," He snapped. "I've seen whores, Sheena, and you are not one."

"I'm cheating on him."

"No, you aren't. You haven't slept—"

"Maybe not physically, but emotionally, yes, I am! I love you, and I want to be with you constantly, not him."

"It's an affair of the heart," he cooed; an endeavor to sooth me. "It isn't the same then as an actual affair. It's something you can't help, Sheena. Don't forget that it wasn't a choice of yours to marry Orochi."

"You've got a point," I scratched my head in frustration. "I mean, it just happened. They just walked in and said Orochi proposed. Had I known the real reason they were gonna call me in there, I probably would have—"

Zelos' brows furrowed, his eyes raking my face so quickly I didn't recognize what he was doing until he'd already done it.

"Orochi **proposed**?"

"Yeah," I said sluggishly, sheepishly, backing away from him a bit.

Zelos looked away from me, his face twisted in a look of perplexity. After a beat, he looked back at me, his face scrunched. He was analyzing.

"What exactly did they say to you? If not word for word, paraphrase it as best as you can."

"Um, well…they came over. Vice Chief and Grandpa explained that there was a law that said all chiefs were required to marry in case they, as well as the vice chief, died, so that there could be someone to take their place. I asked Grandpa why he couldn't do it, and he said once a chief resigns, they can't be chief again…"

Zelos nodded fervently. "Continue."

I closed my eyes tightly, trying to recall the scene I'd tried so hard to forget.

"Uh-they-Orochi stepped forward and said he…asked for my hand in marriage..."

"Right," Zelos replied tersely.

"…Grandpa said he approved and that Orochi and I would be married."

"And what did you say to him."

"Nothing. What was I supposed to say?"

Zelos got up from his spot in the tiny inn bed, and he started to walk back and forth. His eyes raced across the room at a breakneck speed, his breath quickening from the swiftness of his pacing. A handful of minutes passed, and he plopped himself on the floor, in front of the bed where I lay.

"You're telling me that Orochi asked for your hand in marriage?"

"Yes," I retorted, moving to sit at the end of the bed so I could see him better. The sea in his eyes had become wild, his chest was heaving ostentatiously.

"And your grandfather said he approved, which is why you got married, right?"

"Right."

Zelos cracked that infamous grin.

"Sheena…your grandfather didn't make you marry Orochi."

"He—"

"Orochi **asked** to marry you. That's why you got married!"

"Wha—"

"He didn't make you marry him. The only reason why he said you'd be married so soon is because Orochi was the first man to propose to you, and you never resisted."

"But why—"

"He never said, "Sheena, you have to marry Orochi!" What did he say, Sheena?"

I tried to find words; it took much too long to find them. I must have forgotten how to talk while Zelos had been shouting. At the possible validity of his assumptions.

'…_You don't get to pick…' _

"…He said that Orochi proposed…and he approved…"

'…_who you fall in love with…' _

It hit me.

'…_And it's never the right time…' _

What would have happened…had I said no?


	17. Refrain

Hello, ello all! Two posts in one weekend? Can you say "Super Special Awesome"? Cause it definitely is! Haha. Ok, so this is the PENULTIMATE chapter in **I Should Have Never Thought**! Oh my gosh, it's so FREAKIN exciting! I've got to say this chapter is probably my favorite out of the WHOLE THING. It's very cute and dramatic (at least, I hope everyone else thinks so), and I honestly think this is the chapter where Zelos and Sheena truly make a connection. And that is awesome. Shout out to everyone who's read and reviewed this story so far. It wouldn't be at this point with out you guys, ya'll rock! :D

Here's the Second of the Last Three. Here we go!

* * *

_Chapter Sixteen: Refrain_

_

* * *

_

"We're back," I mumbled as Zelos and I sauntered up to Mizuho, our footfalls in perfect harmony.

Mizuho was brilliant, a diamond in the rough, when the rising sun's glimmers pooled over it, lighting it up like the stars and moon did the night sky. The smell of cooking meat, wild blackberries and river water filled my nostrils, making the stout huts that littered the land appear gilded and pristine. A bolstering nostalgia heated the back of my neck, coaxing a smile out of me. Though I'd only been gone a week and a half, it felt like so much longer, due to the events that had unfolded our trip…

"Well, **you're **back," Zelos mused, walking to my side. I never saw him do it, but my skin had begun to tingle, so I knew he was closer than he had been before. "I don't live here."

"R-right,"

"Then again," his voice lowered, sexy and riveting. "My body might not live here, but my heart goes wherever you go…"

I peered up at him, and he peered down at me, beaming, and each white tooth gleaming. His countenance was breezy and undaunted, but I knew him well enough. He wasn't joking.

The hairs on my arms stood on end, tickling my skin, making it itchy and dry. No, I had to stop this. We'd been honest with each other, we knew the truth, but could we fix it. It just wasn't going to happen. We didn't have the means, and I knew that there was no way Grandfather would ever agree. Slow and steady did not win this race.

We were doomed from the very start.

"…What am I supposed to do now…?" My voice was garroted. "And what if this whole thing we've thought of is wrong, Zelos? What if my grandfather really did want me to have an arranged marriage? What happens to all those hopes? They die. And I can't handle that…"

Zelos's lush lips curled back into his mouth, but he pumped them back out not long after.

"It's up to you now, Sheena…"

"…What?"

"Exactly what I said," he shrugged. "It's up to you. You can ask him, see what happens, and make your choice from there. No one says you have to do anything."

"There's nothing that's been left up to me," shoulders slumping, I looked towards the village. My home. Where my grandfather was. The Vice Chief. "I am bound by law. I'm the Chief of Mizuho. I have to do what the law says."

My husband.

"That's not true," Zelos took my chin, pulling my face to him.

"Yes, it is, Zelos. I don't have a choice."

The tide of cerulean came in when he blinked.

"There is **always **a choice. Lloyd should have made sure that you couldn't forget that. Our destiny isn't ultimately defined by a decision that we didn't make. You are the master of your own destiny. Orochi be damned."

"But—"

"No way," His grip tightened. "Don't even try to deny it. You're smarter than that. You saw what Colette did, what Kratos did, what **I **did. We all had hypothetical callings, but we defied them, and we're alive today to pass along the story. There I no way in Hell that you could convince me that there aren't any options for you."

"Listen to yourself!" I jerked from his grip, flaming with resentment. "Yeah, you're right. You, Colette and Kratos did have a lot expected of you, and you changed it, but it wasn't easy! Don't you remember how many times Colette almost died, how Kratos had to live with his own son hating him?"

"And you should listen to yourself," Zelos bristled. "You talk as though you've forgotten that **I **was working backstage the whole time. I was there when Colette got taken away; knew it was going to happen. I saw Kratos's pain when he had to leave Lloyd. Then there were my own issues. I risked just as much as those two. But you know what they did, Sheena? Hmm?"

My cheeks reddened, and I gazed up at my village once more, still basking in its gold glory.

"Colette went willingly. There was no fear in her eyes. She knew she could die, but she had faith in Lloyd. Kratos knew the about the damage he was doing, but he did it anyway because his son's life mattered more than whether he hated him or not."

"Thanks for the reminder," I took a few steps away from him; a defensive maneuver.

"Oh, I'm nowhere near done," He countered. "I haven't even gotten to me."

"I know about you. You announced that when it happened. That I haven't forgotten."

"So you know why I did it?"

"Because you hate being Chosen."

"Why?"

"Because people treat you differently."

"Sorry hunny, that's the wrong answer. Guess again."

"Bullshit!" I whipped around, shouting. Not caring if every living human in Mizuho heard. "That's a lie."

"No, it's not." His expression was deadpanned.

"Yes it is! That's what you said! 'I can't stand being Chosen. My life's been a joke.' Weren't those your exact words?"

"They were. But you don't know **why** I said them."

"Oh yeah? Well, O Wise One, feel free to enlig—"

"I hated that title because it **took you away from me**."

My lips parted in slow motion; I couldn't blink.

Zelos, in two long strides, came nearer, shoving his hand behind my neck to hold my head still. For a fleeting instant, I was under the impression that he aimed to kiss me, but his face lingered, stationary and hard.

Vaguely, he reminded me of the way Orochi normally appeared.

"It was because of that title that I had to let you go. I loved you. God, I love you still, but because I was that ridiculous Chosen, because I wasn't allowed to fall in love, I was forced to let you go. **They** told me let you go…"

His eyes were shaking, dilated, and the blood had drained from his face, making his hair blaze in the sunlight. My knees had begun to quiver, goose bumps weaving down my calves. This was unadulterated shock. That day, when I'd run from Zelos' mansion, knowing he no longer loved me, but still burning with the desire to protect him, I'd cried for so long, moaned for so long, over the thought of him placing me in the pile with his other frivolous lovers, the love he'd one held for me completely eradicated in one lighting flash and thunder rumble.

But Darkness lies.

'…_How do you stop yourself…'_

"You…" I breathed. "…You never hated me…?"

_ '…from falling in love…' _

"That day…" He pulled my face to his, but still, he did not kiss me. "I didn't make the right choice…"

_'…when you know…' _

"Instead of choosing to fight for you…instead of taking control of my destiny…I chose to give up…and just when I decided to fight back…I'm too late…"

_'…it's useless…' _

"…but I never stopped loving you. Not a day since…"

_'…because you've already fallen?' _

It was the Chosen, that forsaken label, which controlled his life.

Zelos never fell out of love with me.

And by the time he was ready to take me back, when he could have me at liberty…it was too late.

It had all been propaganda, a trumped-up story, to protect me.

My love for him teemed within my breast; I was close to imploding. But I couldn't. We had been forsaken by fate. He and I were in the past, never to be recovered. Only a memory.

I was married.

I was married.

**I. Was. Married. **

I was—

"Kiss me," I pleaded.

His sea-eyes thrashed about, flaring.

"…What did you say?"

"Zelos, kiss me," I crept in his direction. Not stopping until the only sound I could hear was his breathing. "Kiss me **now**. Please."

Copying his earlier action, he pressed one steady hand on the back of my neck. He studied my eyes, then my lips; like they were math equations with so many possible outcomes.

And then he set his baby blues on my own amber orbs for the last time.

"As you wish."

Lashes fluttered, grazing the tips of my cheek. My hands, hot and unsure, rested on his chest. The one holding my neck never moved, but the other, ended up on the small of my back; I could feel it making a permanent print there. His lips began to brush mine, a feather light touch. And I waited for the fullness of them. To remember their texture. To taste the saccharine flavor.

But life is cruel.

Because his voice rang out like a shot in the dark.

And never before had I wanted to die until that moment.

"…Sheena?"

Orochi was standing there, but he didn't look anything like the one that I knew. The one I knew stood with composure and posture. Carried himself like a king. But this one was curved inward, full of embarrassment for himself, and confusion towards me, hate for Zelos and fear for our marriage. But that lasted the length of a heartbeat, and then he was back to himself. His hard face vacant.

"Orochi—" I began.

He thrust a hand up to silence me.

"I think it's best…if you and I don't speak, Sheena…"

"Orochi," I started to sob. "It's—we—I—"

"I am not **stupid**, Sheena," His voice was a knife. I'd never heard it so harsh.

"Stop. Don't blame her," Zelos piped up, stepping in front of me. "I'm the one that deserves your anger."

"Zelos—" I wailed.

"No," Orochi insisted. "He's right. My anger should be reserved for The Chosen. Not you."

"Orochi, that's not fair!" I shook my head. "I-I…"

The two of them both stared; Zelos warning me in a nonverbal fashion, while Orochi was mutely beseeching for clarification.

"I-I…I asked Zelos to kiss me," I cried.

And I saw the sorrow bloom in his chocolate colored eyes, and the tears came faster, the cries got louder, and breathing became hyperventilation. How could I have caused him so much pain? How could I betray his trust, our friendship? How could I have lied like this? This wasn't what common people did. I was no human. I was a monster. I deserved more than death. More than the Darkness. I deserved agony.

And then, with a broken voice, he asked: "…Why?"

**I was a stone. **

**A cavern. **

**A creel. **

"I love him…"

**Orochi was full of weeds. **

**Zelos was full of thoughts. **

**And I was full of chains. **

Orochi only leveled his back.

All the emotion that he'd ever felt had just been crucified.

"…Then there's only one thing to do, I suppose…"

Orochi about-faced, refusing to acknowledge my howling.

"Orochi!" Zelos called after him, rage simmering from him. "Don't punish Sheena for this. Don't you** dare**."

Orochi stopped walking, his shoes making a scraping noise against the dirt. But he never turned to face Zelos. He never turned to face me. He probably hated the both of us now, so it didn't really matter.

"I think it's best if you both follow me."

Zelos and I submitted; no struggle at all.

{{{{{{{

Standing wasn't an option. Every time my knees would start to unbend, the whole world would begin to spin, and Zelos would have to hold me up to keep me from falling. Strangely enough, when I did sit, when I could see straight, all I ever did was cry, and Zelos had to hold me while we sat outside my office, whisper that everything would be fine, that he would protect me, that he would take the blame upon himself, that he would take me away if they decided to hurt me.

That we would be together.

But I didn't want it that way. Why was it that I couldn't have love on my own terms? Colette and Lloyd were free to love and be loved in return, but Zelos and I were a held by the vicious circle that was the hidden village of Mizuho. How was that fair. Zelos and I loved each other just as much as any couple, maybe even more. But our future that we planned, that we should have had, was ripped asunder. The loved we'd fought for, we cried for, we almost died for, had flown away on the back of a summer breeze.

And now that Orochi had decided to confront Grandpa, I knew that I'd never see Zelos again.

Racking my brain was a forlorn effort: I could not remember any laws in Mizuho about adultery. So I couldn't say that we were safe, or that we were condemned. It didn't help my panic whatsoever. Even Zelos holding me, rocking me, singing to me wasn't helping. All I saw was Orochi's eyes, contorting with anguish, then steeling with indifference. Could it be that he really despised me so? Or had all of the distasted been directed at Zelos, like he had claimed? I couldn't be sure of that either. Orochi had been mad at me before, but never like this. And I'd always known of his disapproval of Zelos, but could he really be this severe as to go to Grandpa?

Would he tell him that Zelos forced himself on me, or would he tell the truth; relay what I'd plead guilty of; loving another man? No, Orochi might have been a tad cold, but he was no liar. He had tried his hand at lying before, and saying he needed work was an understatement, which is why Orochi never took undercover missions; prevaricating was a prerequisite.

My head was aching at the number of mingling thoughts, and Zelos could tell that I was severely distraught. He had shushed, hushed and hummed in my ear for what seemed like forever, all in an ineffectual bid to kill the restless worries.

"Hush now, Sheena," he murmured like he would to a newborn baby. "You've got to calm down, darling."

"What if they kill you?" My voice sounded more like a machine than a human.

"They won't kill me. They can't." He cracked a smile. How could he be smiling at a time like this? "I'm protected by "the church", remember?"

"What if they kill **me**?" I squeaked.

"They won't kill you either. They've no reason. Plus, I don't think Orochi would allow that."

"Zelos, did you see his face? I've never seen it so…**empty**. He hates me."

Zelos blew stray hairs from his face. "Even if he did, he doesn't hate you enough to let them kill you. Not only that, but this is your **grandfather** we're talking about. Would he really kill you, Sheena?"

Trepidation shot up my spine. "My grandfather doesn't decide. Mizuhoan law decides. And, for all I know, the law for what I've done could be death. Grandpa and Vice Chief can't break the law, Zelos. The citizens would revolt. It'd be a massive coup d'état. They'd fight to survive and kill each other, and eventually the whole population would be wiped ou—"

"A tad melodramatic," He gulped down a laugh. "Don't you think?

"I'm dead serious! That's how important the law is in this society! And the chiefs are responsible to uphold those laws, and if I don't do what they law says, I'll disgrace my whole vill—"

"Sheena," Zelos lowered his voice, and the way he'd said my name gave it a melodic quality to it. "Have you ever heard of the phrase "counting your chickens before they hatch"? You're doing it right now, baby."

"What do you know!" Straddling him, I snatched him by the lapel of his pink drape. "You've never even lived here! I have all my life, I'm Chief, for goodness sake, and I don't even know all of the rules!"

"Exactly," Zelos put a small burst of pressure on my wrists so they would release him. "You don't know all of the rules, which means assuming the worst right now isn't helping."

"But what if I'm right?"

"But what if you're **wrong**?"

"Zelos, there's a chance I could be right!"

"And there's a chance you could be **wrong**, too."

"Ugh!"

Hands folded, I placed them over my lips in the gesture of a prayer, pleading for whatever high power existed in this world for Zelos to be right. I lost count of how many times I'd repeated the wish, but it was long enough to make Zelos take my mass of hands, pry them apart, and hold them tightly in his own. I knew what he was trying to say without even having to look into his eyes. It was another sign of reassurance; he wasn't afraid, so I shouldn't be either.

"Zelos," I said, bending my head down to take in our hands, watching my tears drip onto his knuckles. "…Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"…Do you…do you still sing like you used to?"

His thumbs jerked. Zelos used to sing when he was young, and he was good at it too. More than good. Phenomenal. I still remembered the first time he'd sung to me: that sultry, jazzy tone often lulling me to sleep at night. That was how he got half the girls to fall for him; he'd sing some slow, seductive love poems in that voluptuous bluesy manner, and they were hooked. At this point in his life, he didn't necessarily have to resort to those gorgeous pipes, but whenever he did…

Let's just say people didn't question whether or not he was an angel.

"…I don't. Not often, anyway."

"…It's just…I heard you—well, I more noticed—I noticed you humming and it reminded me of when you used to sing, and, I, ugh, I just thought that maybe you mi—"

"Do you want me to sing to you, Sheena?"

I searched for his eyes. Those briny irises gleaming softly, sparking like sunlight on the foaming waves, a gentle smile plastered further down.

I got red in the face.

"I'll do whatever you want to make you happy," He susurrated, stroking my hot cheek with the back of his hand. "If it's singing, then I'll sing to you; only for you. I'll sing forever..."

I leaned into his touch. "Sing to me."

And he did. His voice was silky, yet rough when he wanted it to be. Amatory and cool, he pulled me close to him, lifted his lips to my ear and crooned softly tuneful bridges of love, devotion and desire. My heart was flying, face hot and clammy, and I'd never loved him more in that moment then I had in my whole life. He was fighting for me, for the first time. For the first time, he was defying all right and reason to try and have me. He wasn't hurting me, teasing me or scoffing at my request.

Zelos had done something for me out of romantic amity, not because I had inveigled or caused guilt within him.

I let my eyes close so I could consume the admiration that palpitated within the lyrics, the erogenous quality of his vibrato. It had me slavering over the thought of his tepid kiss, his arms holding me tightly, his fingertips brushing against my skin, the steam and electricity that came to life whenever we were a stone's throw away, the love that had driven us insane and hungry.

Suddenly, my vision was rushed with color and light. Red, mostly, from Zelos's long mane, and those thin, yet somewhat pudgy red lips. But I could see his aquatic blue eyes, and the white of the headband hugging his forehead.

Familiar.

The unfamiliar part was the schoolgirl blush coating his usually light beige phiz.

I blinked.

"You're blushing," It was meant to be a whisper, but it was actually a gasp.

Zelos's eyes averted mine, attaching to something on the other end of the room where we sat waiting for Grandpa's verdict. Foot thumping the wood floor, he pushed his lips to one side, and I could see his tongue pressing against the inside of his cheek.

"Zelos, are you embarr—"

"Yes," He groaned, folding his arms across his broad chest, tossing his bangs. "And if you tell anyone, I swear, I'll-"

"You'll what?" I challenged.

He didn't answer.

"Why?" I smirked. "Why are you so **embarrassed**?"

The Great Zelos Wilder.

Embarrassed.

This was truly the dime of the dozen.

"I don't sing much, OK?" He huffed, roughly scratching the back of his head. "Last time I sung was at a Church of Martel charity event in Meltokio, and I was seventeen. Some shapely, blond woman asked me for…let's call it a "private performance", so I ditched. Haven't sung really, since then…"

My brows elevated. ""Private performance?""

"It's **exactly** what you think it is," He ran a hand down his face.

"Either way," I brushed the topic aside. "You shouldn't be scared to sing in front of me. You used to do it all the time when we were in school."

"There's two reasons behind that, sweetie. One, it was you. Two, I'd never sung and been offered sex afterward."

"Thought you said it was a "private performance.""

"It was. She just didn't really want me to** sing**."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, I think she **did**."

"I think **she **wanted to be the one to make all the noise."

"**Zelos**!"

"What? Can you honestly say you don't believe that? You know I'm right."

I snorted. "That was a little crude, if you ask me."

"I humbly beg your pardon," He kissed my hand, but I could see the devilish sneer behind that innocent façade. "Allow me to compensate you with a kiss."

His lips sought out mine, but I pushed his face away. I wouldn't kiss him with a risk of someone seeing. Not again.

"Aww," Zelos pouted. "What happened too all the "Kiss me now, Zelos!", huh? I miss that..."

"Orochi saw, if you remember. And I got carried away. I'm not going to kiss you while I'm married."

"See, you said that before, but I **still** got you to kiss me."

"Is that the only reason why you said those things?"

"**Hey**, don't do that. Why do all women do that? We say one thing and automatically they assume we mean something else."

"Well it is you. You aren't honest about how you feel with me often…"

Zelos brow lifted, and he grinned. "Ok. Honestly from now on. To start with, did you know I find you agonizingly sexy?"

I punched his bicep. Hard.

"Owww! What the heck, Sheena? You said you wanted **honesty**."

"That's what you get for flirting."

"I wouldn't consider that flirting, I'd consider that being blunt."

"Well, still. You should learn your lesson for being flirtatiously **blunt** with women."

"If it's any consolation, I feel horrible about it."

"As you should." My nod was offhanded.

"…Isn't this the part where you're supposed to say, "It's all right, Zelos, it's just your subconscious reacting to the fact that you weren't loved enough as a child"?"

"Is that what you want me to say?"

Zelos shrugged; his amusement with our conversation unimpeded. "Well, no, it's just something I thought you would say, considering you **love me** and all."

"Hey, I'm not the one that didn't love you enough. I'm not your mother."

"Thank God."

"Why, do you hate her that much?"

"No, it would just be quite the degrading experience, going to a doctor and explaining that I have violent urges to make out with my mother."

We hooted and hollered like the children we used to be, laughing until our sides hurt and our eyes were misty. I couldn't remember the last time I'd laughed like that.

It seemed like an eternity.

"…I shouldn't have let you walk away," Zelos mused after he'd regained his composure. "You were the only one that ever made me happy."

"Which I don't get," I took a strand of his rubicund locks, binding in around my index finger. "It wasn't like I was kind to you when I came back from Sylvarant."

"I thought it made you sexier."

"Zelos, shut up," my nose tickled at his words.

"The funny part is…I'm not kidding."

"Wait…what?"

"It's something I'm still trying to fully understand," his voice became distant; he was recalling the memories of when the world was two. "When you came back, you acted like you hated me. I wasn't used to that. Especially after I knew a woman was interested in me. When you hit me and scolded me, I pressed harder to try and see if I could crack that shell. But I failed. And I just loved you more. What I've guessed is, because I've never had a woman treat me the way you did, never had a woman not want me, it made you different. Unique. You didn't want me, I couldn't have you. So, naturally, I fell even deeper in love with you."

I couldn't help but beam. Even when we tried to push each other away, we couldn't be oil and water, even if it seemed like we were at the time.

But then the beam dimmed. "…What if it's like that this time?"

Zelos tilted his head. "Explain."

"What if…What if you only want me because I'm married?"

Zelos erupted with a hearty chortle. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no. No. This is different, dear. Picture it like this: when you came back to Tethe'alla, you put up a wall. My wall was down, but since yours was up, I had to put one up too. This time, there's a wall between us that has nothing to do with either of us. I still love you no matter what."

"Zelos, you truly are wonderful." I nuzzled his neck.

"I'll hold you to that," He stoked my hair. "Besides, you really haven't changed. You still aren't afraid of me."

"You're the last thing I'm afraid of."

"You sure," He growled; I had chills. "I can be quite intimidating."

Chills or no, I held my ground.

"Zelos, you're about as intimidating as a box of baby kittens."

Zelos scowled, but it wasn't out of ire. "You hear that?"

"What?" I whipped my head around, and then back to him when I saw nothing. Zelos still retained some angel senses, like Colette. Could he hear Grandpa coming?

"The sound of you **brutally murdering** my masculinity."

I slapped his chest.

"You scared me! I though you heard my grandfather."

Zelos shook his head, drawing circles the palm that I struck him with.

"They're still talking. Their voices are really low, so it's hard for me to hear."

"Do you still have those angel senses?"

"Not like Colette, but yeah. I can hear and see little better," he scoured the back of his neck. "And I'm nowhere near as strong. ...And remembering that just finished off what was left of my half-dead manhood."

I pinched the skin of my palm where his fingers had been only seconds ago. "Do you still…have wings?"

"As long as I have the Cruxis Crystal."

"…You probably aren't going to keep that for long, are you?"

"…Why do you ask, Sheena?"

"I-I just wanted to know…I mean, well…I've only seen them once, and—"

"—you want to see them again?"

I tucked some loose black tendrils behind my ear. "I mean, if you want to get rid of that thing today or tomorrow, go ahead, but I…I wanted to, just one last time…"

"Do you want to see them now?" He asked frankly, pulling the Crystal from a hidden pocket in his vest. I always shied away from them. I couldn't get the thought out of my head that they had been filled with half-elven blood.

"N-no. I don't know when Grandpa and the others are going to come out, so I'd like to wait. But if you don't want to wait to get rid of that thing, then by all means."

Zelos only winked, tucking the stone back where it had been.

"I'll wait, if you really want to see them."

I touched his face. "Thank you."

"Can I ask why though?"

I rolled my shoulders back, the taste of fried bananas filling my mouth.

"It's kind of a long story."

"I'm kind of **stuck here** until further notice. Not that I mind, though."

"You don't have to stay."

"Are you kidding me? I'm not leaving you like this. You look like you're about to faint."

"I'm sorry about that, making you worry. I guess it's my fault. I shouldn't have asked you to kiss me. That was stupid."

"I'm going to have to disagree," Zelos slumped in his seat. "I think kissing me was a great idea."

"At first, I thought so too, but when I got you in trouble—"

"Do you honestly think I care? I don't give a **damn **about anything Orochi can say or do. I thought you didn't want me, so I let you go. But when I saw that chance, it's was too late for me to take it. You said you loved me, Sheena. I've been waiting for more than a year to hear it. We can finally be forthright. You're in my arms, and that's all I could ever ask for. You're my dream come true. If I died at this exact moment, then I would die one happy son of a bit—"

"Chosen," a solemn voice bellowed. "I thought you knew better than that. Watch your language while in the company of a lady."

Orochi.

Hurriedly, I bounded from Zelos's lap to stand in front of him, but Zelos couldn't have been more languid to stand.

Orochi, who never failed to fulfill my expectations, had a robotic slash for a mouth, two beady, impassive brown eyes, and a boxy stance. He was fixated on Zelos, and contrariwise, Zelos glued his eyes that held the God of the Seas in them, on Orochi as well. Orochi did not acknowledge my existence until their staring contest was over; Zelos had been the first to lose eye contact, which didn't surprise me. Orochi was trained in the art of extortion, and Zelos's kittens just couldn't put up a fight.

"Sheena, your grandfather has asked for your presence. He has some things he wishes to discuss with you."

"Yes, Orochi, thank you," I bowed, and began to walk into my office, my grandfather's former workspace.

"Don't you worry, Sheena," Zelos called after me. "Orochi and I will have some fun while you're gone."

Orochi offered Zelos a contemptuous grunt.

When I got into the office, it was unnaturally cold, as though nothing but sadness had wallowed here for many years, and no sunlight had ever or could ever get through. The Grim Reaper's bedroom. A morgue. A half-elven research lab. Somehow, Grandpa was sitting where the chief of Mizuho would typically sit, his complexion sunny despite the wanton room. He was like the one candle in my room at night. The moon in a starless sky.

Zelos wings in the Darkness.

"You look tired, Sheena." He motioned for me to sit in front of him.

"I am Grandpa," I sighed like I used to when I was small. "So I'd like to get my punishment out of the way, if you could, sir."

Grandpa chuckled, though I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out why.

"Orochi told me what happened Sheena, and I must say that I'm quite startled."

I hung my head, too ashamed to stare at him in the face.

"I know, Grandpa."

"I'm not sure what to make of all of it, but, it really isn't my choice to decide."

"Yes, Grandpa."

"By law, it is the husband's choice of what kind of action should be taken in this type of situation. But, I must admit, in all my years as Chief, there hasn't been anything like this before."

My body tried to curl up inside of itself.

"I understand, Grandpa."

"Naturally, I'm a little bit taken aback. Regardless, Orochi and I talked about this extensively, and he has come to a conclusion, one that he seemed quite adamant about."

I held my breath, waiting for the disaster.

"Orochi has decided…that you and he should be officially **divorced**. Immediately."

I blacked out.


	18. I Caught Myself

Hello, ello all! Well this...is it. The last chapter of I Should Have Never Thought. The chapter is titled I Caught Myself, for the song by my favorite band, Paramore, of the same name; the song that originally inspired the plot of I Should Have Never Thought, as well as the title, taken from some of the lyrics of the song. Some of the lyrics are also featured in this chapter as well, and they don't belong to me! Haha.

It was a long painstaking process, but the story is finally complete. I really hope you all enjoy the last chapter. I worked super hard on it. I'm glad that this part of the story is done, and now I can move on to other projects. Big thank yous to the Sheelos Community, for loving my first fic, Verbal Irony, for the constant supply of Sheelos lovers, Faux Promises, for all the needed encouragement, and to all of the readers and reviewers, who kept me motivated. I can't thank you all enough. This story is finished because of all of you.

Here's chapter seventeen! :)

All my love.

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen: I Caught Myself **

_I know in my heart it's not you. _

_I knew. _

_But now I know what I want. _

* * *

Orochi's face was the first thing I saw when I came to. He was sitting, and I was taking him in at a weird angle, so I surmised that after I had passed out, someone must have laid me down somewhere to sleep. Flexing the muscles in my hands, I felt plush sheets forming to the shape of my body, almost as if they were trying to swallow me whole. My eyes combed the rest of the room, and it too me way too long to figure out that I was in the room Orochi and I had shared for the last month or so.

He wasn't asleep though; Orochi was wide awake, sitting up in a chair at my bedside, a mien of meshing concern and curiosity tacked onto his face. Like a vampire rising from the grave, I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes so hard I could feel the veins popping in them. I opened my hands back up, seeing that they were still gloved. For some odd reason, that annoyed me, so I ripped the gloves off, tossing them to the other side of the room. I wanted a better look at my palms. They were peach colored, scar free and round, just as palms should be.

But why did it feel like they were cut open, bleeding?

"Are you all right, Sheena?" Orochi ventured.

"Y-yeah," I answered, keeping my gaze cemented to my hands.

"You gave us quite a scare…"

"I'm sorry, I—stress, I guess…"

I heard Orochi's feet scrape against the wood flooring.

"Sheena, I think you and I should talk."

When I saw his face, I was dumbfounded by the nonchalance on it. I swore on my beating heart that he could be just like Zelos at times; he was good at hiding his true feelings, at appearing calm when a hurricane fulminated within. His posture wasn't as tight as it had been earlier, but there was still something about the stiffness of his neck that made me want to dive back into the black oblivion of sleep.

"Yes…" I whispered.

"Would you like to start, or should I?"

I didn't know how to answer that. Logic told me to let Orochi speak first; I wasn't sure what I was going to say exactly. What could you say in a position like this? But what if I wasn't ready to hear what Orochi was planning on saying to me? He could be harsh when he wanted to, and even though I deserved it, I'd never fancied a scolding from him. They were usually inexorable and daunting. So choosing the option to talk first might work in my favor. There already wasn't much to say; wasn't much for me to repudiate. Orochi saw me trying to kiss Zelos…

"_Orochi and I will have some fun while you're gone." _

_**Zelos! **_

"Where's Zelos?"

Wrong question to ask.

Orochi's emotion was instantly sucked away, replaced by the robot that had greeted me when I first returned home.

He said nothing.

"Where's Zelos, Orochi?" I pressed.

Still no answer. Just the gathering of his brow in a glower.

"What happened? How long have I been asleep? Where **is he**?"

Orochi shifted, but it was barely perceptible. You'd have to have those keen Mizuhoan wisdoms to see someone as skilled as Orochi move involuntarily. He didn't like showing when he was uncomfortable, yet he was comfortable enough to let that faint motion slip. Which meant he wasn't even sure what he was supposed to be feeling right now.

"The Chosen is wi—"

"He's not the Chosen anymore, Orochi—"

"Very well," He scoffed. "**Lord Wilder **is with the former chief right now. Igaguri asked to talk to him as soon as he was done with you."

"…What do you mean "done with me"?"

"After you fainted, Zelos had tried to carry you here, but he ended up reopening a deep gash on his back when he bent and lifted you."

"Oh, no," I moaned. His wound from the bandits. "Is he all right?"

Orochi nodded imperturbably. "Yes, he's fine. But he refused to get it dressed until he knew you were taken, so I carried you here, and he followed. As soon as I put you here, he left with your grandfather. I'm sure he's fine. I saw the cut. It just needed to be cleaned and stitched."

"Th-thank you," I curled my legs in, hugging them. "I know I shouldn't have asked, but I thought…I thought you were going to kill him."

Orochi laughed. An honest-to-goodness laugh. It was slightly unsettling.

"Believe me," He wiped one eye with his finger. "I considered it, hahaha."

I blanched, and he laughed harder.

"Orochi, this isn't funny! I seriously thought there was some law that said if Zelos kissed me he was going to be—!"

I couldn't even finish the thought. It was too horrifying.

"No," he insisted, and there was hurt in his words. "There's no law that says that."

'…_Thank goodness…' _

"Igaguri told me why you fainted, Sheena."

I stiffened.

"He said it happened when he told you I wanted us to be divorced."

Unthinkingly, I proclaimed: "Why did you want that, Orochi?"

His face softened after my thought slip.

"Why do you ask?"

"I-I…I wanted to know. I was told your decision, not why you made it."

Orochi shifted again, this time it caused him to stand. Folding his arms across his chest, he moved to stand in front of me, his eyes zeroing in on my own, almost as if he were trying to force something out of me; pull out answers that he wanted to hear with pure strength of will.

"Can you honestly say that you don't know, Sheena?"

"I—"

"After everything that's happened today, it is I who deserves the explanation, not you."

Orochi was right. Why he wanted a divorce was obvious. It had been an imprudent request on my part.

I couldn't look at him.

"Orochi, I'm sorry," tears stung my eyes. "I'm sorry…sorry for everything. I-I…I should have told you the truth from the beginning."

"You're right," Orochi's tone was steely. "You should have before we got thrown into this mess."

"I know…" I could hardly hear myself over our own breathing.

Orochi placed his fingers to his temples, and he began to massage them, his face slowly but surely softening under the rhythmic touch.

"I do not understand you, Sheena. I was under the impression for so long that I knew. But how quickly I have been proven wrong. I have no idea what is going through your head right now. What you want. How you feel about me, what relationship you and the Chos—Lord Wilder have, and why you agreed to marry me in the first place."

My head throbbed with pain. "…What d'you mean, I agreed?"

Orochi threw his toward my window, away from me, rolling his eyes.

"You know what I mean. I formally proposed to you, your grandfather consented, and you said yes. I was under the impression that you felt the same way for me…as I did you."

The aching flew from my head to my heart. For so long I had not understood, but now, in one sentence, everything that Orochi had said or done in the last few months had become clear. I already knew the truth, but the magnitude of it hit me like a punch to the gut, winding me.

Orochi was in love with me.

The same way Zelos loved me. The same way I loved Zelos.

His proposal had been no business transaction, no political agreement. It had been a serious expression of romance, a declaration of love in its purest form. And I had completely disregarded his feelings; pushed them aside as I let the person I really was be consumed by misery and disdain. While he'd been doing his best to prove to me that his love was genuine, a gem that deserved to be treasured.

A gem that I had carelessly dropped in the sand.

"I-I…I thought…"

_"…I…" _

But what was the point in explaining? Nothing I said or did would heal his wounds, take away what happened. Orochi, Zelos and I would always remember this. Always remember the torment it brought…

_"…should…"_

"Tell me what it is that you feel, Sheena," Orochi took a seat by me in my bed, holding my hand. "Just be honest, and I promise that I will listen."

_"…have…"_

"O-Orochi," I sniveled. "I feel h-horrible…I-I didn't mean for everyth-thing to happen like this…"

_"…never…"_

"…Tell me, Sheena…" He ventured.

_"…thought…" _

I sobbed, and I couldn't stop.

"I…don't love you, Orochi…"

Orochi inhaled sharply.

"I'm so sorry. I am. Truly. I shouldn't have let it get so far. I should have told you how I felt. I shouldn't have accepted your proposal. I-I…I should have never thought I could do something I didn't want to do…be with someone who I didn't love in the same way. And now I've hurt you. Betrayed you. You had to find out that I loved Zelos in the worst way, and I'm to blame. And I deserve your hate, all of it. Zelos doesn't, but I do…"

There was a pregnant silence between us. It was as if Nothing had devoured our thoughts, our voices. Tears fell from my red, tender eyes like a summer rain, darkening the white sheets of my bed. Orochi's hands—bare, tan, somewhat calloused—still held mine thought. In fact, their grip had tightened even.

Finally, he spoke.

"Does he…love you as well?"

I opened my mouth to answer, not ready to hurt him further, just ready to reveal the truth, but someone else did it for me.

"Shouldn't you be asking that question to me, not her?"

Zelos stood at my doorway, a hard look on his face, his hands heroically resting on his hips. Shirtless again, another white bandaged was binding his middle, only this time it was all the way up to his solar plexus. Those nautical eyes were flashing, pulsing, like the ocean tossing during a storm. Zelos was serious. Deadly serious. He had come here to protect me from Orochi, in case he'd decided to blame me for the incident at the gate in Mizuho.

Orochi wasn't as happy as I was to see him.

Their eyes locked, and it was as if oil and water had tried to fuse. Orochi was yin and Zelos was yang. Close enough, but not willing to connect. It wasn't hard to figure out that Orochi was no fan of Zelos's, but Zelos had never really told me how he felt about Orochi. I had always assumed that he didn't really care. I was the important one. Nevertheless, it made me curious to find out, but not curious enough to have them stay in one room. Zelos was a lit match, and Orochi was coal. Too close, and they would both burn.

"You are not a part of this conversation, Lord Wilder."

"According to you, I am. Why else bring up my name?"

"This is between Sheena and I. You are a topic, not a contributor."

Zelos snorted. "I heard the question, you know. If you really want to find out, shouldn't you hear it straight from the horse's mouth? Instead of pestering her for all the answers?"

"Zelos," I pushed. "Orochi has a right to know. Stop berating him!"

Zelos turned toward me, concern lacing his words. "I don't want **him **berating **you**, Sheena."

"How dare you. You think I would?" Orochi rose, fits balled, but he did not once raise his voice. "I am insulted. Even more so because it is coming from a philandering—"

"Don't flatter yourself," Zelos bit. "You have no idea who I am, so don't bequeath titles to me that have no merit. You don't know me."

"I could say the same for you. You accuse me of reprimanding the woman I love—"

"While you expect me to remove myself from a situation that involves the woman**I **love."

Orochi's mouth closed.

"You heard me," Zelos propped himself against the door jamb, the muscles in his chest and arms tightening when he folded them. "Don't act so shocked. I love her. I want her. Just as much as you do."

"…Would you protect her?" Orochi muttered, his eyes to the floor.

_"I never asked…" _

Zelos looked at me. "From anything."

_"…for someone to give me the stars." _

"Care for her?"

_"…Just someone to stay beside me…" _

"Like a dove."

_"…to hold me…" _

"**Die** for her?"

_"…to watch them with me…" _

"In a moment."

_"…is enough." _

Orochi straightened, salvaging his equanimity. He even through a smile my way.

"Then I yield."

I swooned, but managed to cling to consciousness.

"Sheena foolishly agreed to marry me because she believed she had to. Once I discovered this, I knew that I couldn't keep her trapped in a marriage she did not want."

"Orochi…" I squeaked.

Zelos listened.

"I still love her with all my heart, but her happiness is the most important thing to me. And I do not make her happy."

Orochi switched from me to Zelos.

Zelos flipped his hair and cleared his throat.

"You make her happy. I do not know why, and it is not my place to know why. That is why I petitioned for a divorce."

Orochi turned back to me again, but this time, I could feel all the sadness he'd ever felt washing over me. It amazed me that he wasn't in tears.

I weakly gasped, trying not to bawl.

"I love you, Sheena. And I know you do not see me the way I see you. But this I do know…"

Zelos clapped him on the shoulder; a gesture of comfort. And Orochi did not shove him away.

" Just because someone might not love you the way you want them to…does not mean they do not love you with everything they have."

"Orochi, you are my best friend," I raced to him, taking him in my arms. "You always were, are, and will be…"

Gingerly, inch by inch, he returned my embrace, his rough hands pressing ever so slightly on my back.

"And is more than enough, Sheena."

He pulled away, cupping my hands in his face.

"May I…ask one favor of you, Sheena Fujibayashi?"

"Anything," I sniffed. "No matter what."

And then, without any warning, he kissed me.

And while I felt nothing, while I knew his kiss would never be as mind-blowing as Zelos's, I decided, just one last time, I would kiss him back.

It wasn't long or drawn out, but short and sweet. The kind of kiss that only good friends should share one time. A test to see if they could love each other beyond the barriers of platonic companionship. He removed his lips from mine, a slight blush coating the tops of his cheeks.

"With this…" he sighed. He seemed so much more content now. "I release you."

Orochi let my face go and turned to leave, but not before staring Zelos down once again. It wasn't until then that I realize Zelos was a whole head taller than him, much paler, and feminine compared to Orochi.

Orochi held out one hand, and Zelos, not hesitating once, took it in his, clasping it tightly, the way boys would do when encouraging each other or making promises.

"If you ever hurt her again," everything about Orochi was menacing. "I will kill you."

"I'll hold you to that," Zelos winked; an attempt to show him how indomitable he was.

And then he was gone.

And it was just Zelos and me.

"So," Zelos stopped slouching, moving his shoulders back and forth as though they were uneven. "I guess this means I can't punch him for kissing you, huh?"

I tweaked my lips together, moving them back and forth as to hide my grin.

"That would be a no."

"Pity. He deserves a good fist in the mou—"

"Zelos!" I stomped one foot. "How can you say that? I just broke his heart, and he let me go. I don't think he **deserves any** ill treatment!"

Zelos shoved his hands in his pockets, smirking.

"I'll give that one to him. I've never seen a man so hung up over a woman that he'd just turn her loose."

"So what're you sayin'? Don't make me start believing that you don't love me much as Orochi does."

Zelos moved quickly, like he flew instead of walked, reaching for my hand, yanking me towards him so fast that I stumbled and fell into his bare arms. His bare skin was full of electrical energy, and the bolts of them swam through him and into me. It reminded me of a hot bath or the feel of velvet; just a sensation that never failed to fill me with ecstasy. Every hair on my body stood up.

"You are quite unwise if you really consider that to be a fact," he half purred.

"Oh, really," I muttered, flushing.

I thought he could tell too, the way he held me tighter when my face that touched his chest heated.

"Oh, yes. Sour-Face back there; he shows you he loves you by letting you free like a bird in a cage. But I'm much different."

"You are…?" I played with a stray string on his bandage.

He tilted my head towards him, and our nose touched. My mind screamed for me to kiss him. I wasn't married anymore; technically. Zelos was a thief in the night when it came to love. While my heart had already been stolen, only the documents of my marriage to Orochi remained. Which didn't really matter to me. Papers were easily singed and shredded…

"That's right," His lips met my neck. "I love you, so I fight for you."

"And by fighting, you mean try and badger me into kissing you and admitting that my marriage is a lie."

"See, when you put it like that, darling, it just kills the mood…"

We both laughed. I fell off a proverbial cliff into the sea of his eyes, churning with fondness. Imagining that same passion washing over me, my heart raced so quickly I lost count of the beats. I kissed him; like I'd never get the chance to again. As if, tomorrow, we would both die, and this was our last night together for the rest of eternity. My hands found his lushly red hair, and I slipped my fingers through it; it was light and fluffy, silky and smelled of strawberries and cream. My hands raked through it, then down the nape of his neck, all the way back to his chest where my hands had been in the beginning.

I don't know how long we stood there, our lips moving in an ebb and flow motion. But it was long enough for him to pull away, breathless.

"What's gotten into you?" His voice was an exigent whisper.

"I-I…I never got to kiss you…when we were…I should have asked…I'm sorry."

Zelos trailed one finger down my cheek, under my neck, and then dragged it toward my chin.

"You can kiss me whenever you want, baby. There's no negotiating to it. Especially if you kiss me like **that**."

"I-I…" Goosebumps festered on my arms. "I didn't think I kissed you any different than—"

"Oh, that is bullshit," he shook his head, grinning. "Do you know what happened? Is that why?"

I backed away from him.

"What are you talking about?"

Zelos eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.

"He **didn't tell you**?"

"Tell me what?"

Zelos beamed from ear to ear, the widest smile I'd ever seen him have. He was practically dancing.

"I can't believe he didn't tell you! I guess he thought I should be the one to do it, since, well, it was me who pushed the idea in the first place. Orochi said I should ask you first, but I didn't really think I needed to, so I just kind of…**did it**. I hope you aren't mad at me, though. I—"

"Zelos! What in the hell are you talking about?"

He pumped his eyebrows up and down. "You'll never guess."

"You're right; I won't, so **tell me**!"

"…I almost don't want to say anything beca—"

"**Zelos**!"

He laughed so hard, I saw him wince from pain, his arms encircling the bandage around his middle.

"Ok, I'll tell you."

I tapped my foot.

He didn't say anything. The only movement he made was that of twitching his lips back and forth, his chest juddering from controlled mirth.

"If you don't want to tell me," I groaned. "I'll just go ask Grandpa."

"…I asked your grandfather if…if I could marry you, Sheena, and he said yes."

My world stopped spinning.

"…Come again?"

Zelos just winked, putting his hands on his hips, grinning as though he'd found the answer to a riddle that no one else knew.

"When I explained to Gramps what—"

"Did you just call my grandfather "Gramps"?"

"So? I called him that while we spoke and he didn't seem to mind."

My jaw went slack.

"Anyway," Zelos continued, leading me towards my own bed, sitting me down beside him on the edge. "I explained to him everything that happened. What happened while we were gone, what we said to each other, why we felt what we did, and how much I **worship the very ground you walk on**. So my manhood is dead and buried now, you're welcome."

I started coughing.

"You-you told Grandpa what happened while we went to Iselia?"

"He said to be honest with him, Sheena," Zelos' brows knitted, his voice growing soft. "I wasn't about to lie to him."

The veneration I had for him grew sevenfold.

"After I told him everything, he asked me what I wanted to do from this point, now that you and Orochi were separating, and…I just kind of, well, said that I wanted to marry you on impulse. And he just…said yes. There's really no other way to explain it."

I leaned back, cagey.

"Are you being serious?"

"Are you saying you don't believe me?"

"You do have the tendency to yank my chain, Zelos."

"I wouldn't about something like this! This is a matter of love, my love for you, so there's no option to take this seriously or not."

"…Did you sign the papers and everything?" I leaned forward again.

"Yeah! Basically, he let me cross out Orochi's name with mine."

"You've got to be kidding!" I exclaimed. "That sounds nothing like Grandpa."

Zelos rolled his eyes. "That's what happened. I think he just wants you to be happy Sheena, and he did what he could to make you happy."

But I shook my head, taking his hands fiercely in mine.

"How can it be that simple?"

"That's an easy one; **if** you remember what I just said."

"I **know** Grandpa wants me to be happy. I get that. But how in the world did you get him to consent to not only letting me marry you, but not even going through any official sacraments that follow our custom?"

"Signing the papers, right?"

"Well, that's one, yes—"

Zelos made and ostentatious gesture with his head. "And I told you, I already **did that**."

"But how—"

"Sheena, what do you want from me? Do you want me to prove it to you? Is that it? Will that make you believe me?"

I shrugged. "If you want to show me the papers—"

Zelos just pointed at me. "Ahh, but you see, I don't need any papers to prove to you I'm, for all intents and purposes, your new fiancé."

I scoffed. "**Sure**, yeah—"

"Ah, ah, ah! Don't be so sure of yourself Sheena Fujibayashi. Or should I say…_**Yuri **_Fujibayashi."

I just stared at him. Thunderstruck.

He knew my name.

My real name.

The only people privy to our real names were the Chief, Vice-Chief, families…and spouses.

Zelos, still holding my hand, placed one finger to the side of his chin, in a gesture to tease. "Here I always thought I was so certain your real name was Violent Demonic Banshee. And now I found out that not only are you named after your grandmother, but a flower too?"

My clasp on his hands tightened. I was certain that I'd started to cut off the blood flow from the rest of his body to his fingers, but I didn't really care at this moment. I was too afraid that if I closed my eyes, blinked or faltered, that I'd open them again to find myself in bed beside Orochi; that none of this was even happening, that it was all a dream or a cruel joke of a nightmare.

But his hands, his skin, his lips…they'd all felt so real. How could it be a mere dream?

"H-how…how did you…?"

"I told you, sweetie," Zelos let go of my hands and held them palms up. "I've got some crazy negotiating skills."

"No, you said Grandpa did it to make me happy."

"I did," Grandpa's peculiar tone chimed in my ears.

My head flew in the direction of his voice, and, sure enough, he was there where Zelos had been such a short time ago. Only he was not shirtless or wounded, but stood there straight with assistance from his cane. There was a demonstrative beam painted by his lips on his face, and his eyes caringly surrounded Zelos and I as we sat beside each other.

"Sheena," he started with the serenity of a calm lake. "You may be Chief, but, above all other things, you are my granddaughter, and I love you. Your happiness is more important to me than anything."

"Grandpa…" I whimpered.

Zelos placed a strong hand on my back.

"You don't have to marry anyone you don't want to. If you aren't ready, then tell me, and we will wait. If you aren't in love with a man who wants to marry you, tell me, and I will make sure he knows. If you want to marry Zelos Wilder…"

Grandpa hobbled over to me and propped his can by the wall next to my bed. He shakily took my right hand, Zelos' left one, and overlapped them in his own.

"Then you have my blessing to marry him."

Zelos' smile was true.

"But," Grandpa let go and took a few steps backward. "Before I finalize the documents and deal with the matter of the village, I think Mr. Wilder should formally propose first."

I blanched. **Formally propose**?

But Zelos didn't falter. "Yes, sir!"

And then Zelos took both of my hands in his, placing them over his heart.

It was racing.

So was mine.

"Yuri Sheena Fujibayashi, Chief of the village of Mizuho…"

_"…I wrote your name in the sky…" _

"I ask you…"

_"…and the wind blew it away…" _

"No…I **beseech** you."

_"…I wrote your name in the sand…" _

"Would you become Sheena Wilder..."

_"…And the ocean washed it away…" _

"Will you marry me...?"

_"…I wrote your name in my heart…" _

And it was as though the entire world's color had returned.

_"…and forever it will stay…" _

For the first time in so long, everything didn't seem so gray.

_"…Thinking I could live without you…"_

"…Yes…"

_"…I should have never thought…" _

* * *

_{}{}{}{} __**Fin **__{}{}{}{}_


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